>From today's Philadelphia Inquirer: Posted on Sun, Feb. 12, 2006 Two years ago, Asbury Park took a stand
By Kaitlin Gurney Inquirer Trenton Bureau Asbury Park's most famous newlyweds will celebrate their two-year anniversary next month. Louis Navarrete and Ric Best say they will toast the day that the Shore city named for a Methodist church founder became the first in New Jersey to marry a gay couple. With the March 8, 2004, nuptials, Asbury Park public officials joined in a wave of civil disobedience stretching from San Francisco City Hall to New Paltz, N.Y. Town leaders said their public statement in favor of same-sex marriage was a gesture of thanks to the gay community that has revitalized the gritty seaside resort. The couple of 17 years have since moved to Philadelphia, where they live in the heart of Center City's thriving "gayborhood." "We're very quiet," Navarrete said. "We're just like those people who get married every day and you never hear from them again." Not quite. The pair on the cover of Out in Jersey magazine this month has a stake in the same-sex marriage lawsuit that the New Jersey Supreme Court will hear Wednesday. The fate of the couple's marriage license, which was deemed invalid by then-Attorney General Peter Harvey, hinges on the outcome of the Supreme Court case, said Lee Moore, a spokesman for newly installed Attorney General Zulima Farber. Asbury Park joined in the lawsuit that seven gay and lesbian couples have brought against the state with a brief filed pro bono by lawyers with Farber's former law firm, Lowenstein Sandler. Farber, who during her confirmation hearing promised to uphold the state's marriage laws, has since recused herself in the matter. "If we are successful, Asbury would feel vindicated in taking the actions it did in the name of civil rights," said Frederick C. Raffetto, the city's lawyer. Until they hear otherwise, Navarrete and Best are assuming their union is bona fide. "We haven't corrupted anyone's marriage," Best said. "We just want to live our own." Contact staff writer Kaitlin Gurney at 609-989-7373 or [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.jerseyshoregourmet.com/miscellaneous/Asbury/Gay_Wedding.htm http://www.jerseyshoregourmet.com/miscellaneous/Asbury/Gay_Marriage.htm Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
