NJ senate votes for gay marriage in face of veto

In a move that supporters called a civil rights milestone, New Jersey's state Senate on Monday passed a bill to recognize same-sex marriages, marking the first time state lawmakers officially endorsed the idea — despite the promise of a veto by Gov. Chris Christie.

Monday's vote was 24-16 in favor of the bill, a major swing from January 2010, when the Senate rejected it 20-14.

"It means the world isn't changing, it means the world has already changed," Steven Goldstein, chairman of the gay rights group Garden State Equality said after the vote. "So wake up and smell the equality."

But opponents say it's "an exercise in futility" even if the Assembly passes the bill Thursday as expected, given Christie's veto vow.

More on this latest stampede to equality at NBC News.

(Photo caption: Robert Johnson (left) and Hector Contreras (right) from Jersey City that were married in Massachusetts in July 2011, take a self portrait with their sign during a rally held in support of gay marriage in Hoboken in July.)

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