NEWARK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- Dozens of towns and cities in New Jersey were found in violation of state law by omitting a nonbinary option in online marriage applications, the state’s attorney general said Wednesday.
In total, 28 municipalities across the state have been issued notices of violation because their marriage application forms posted online don’t allow nonbinary people to apply unless they misgender themselves under oath as either male or female, according to A.G. Matthew Platkin.
The practice is inconsistent with the marriage application currently published by the state’s Department of Health, which has included a third gender option for nonbinary applicants and other people with undesignated or unspecified gender identities since 2019, the attorney general said.
The 28 municipalities cited by the state are Audubon, Carney’s Point, Chester Township, Commercial, Delran, Fair Haven, Farmingdale, Hi-Nella, Lopatcong, Lumberton, Manasquan, Milltown, Morris Plains, Morristown, Ocean Gate, Oceanport, Old Bridge, Pemberton, Pennsauken, Pohatcong, Raritan Borough, Stockton, Sussex Borough, Vineland, West Cape May, Westhampton, Westville, and Woodlynne.
“Marriage equality is not just the law. It is a fundamental right,” Platkin said in a statement. Division on Civil Rights director Sundeep Iyer called the law on marriage equality “crystal clear.”
The action was taken as part of an ongoing marriage equality enforcement crackdown launched in October by the office, according to a release.
Each municipality faces a potential fine of up to $10,000 but can enter into an agreement to, among other things, update its website to comply with the law, the attorney general’s office said.
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