NJ: Behind the Scenes of the Gay Marriage Vote Delay

Marsha Shapiro and Louise Walpin are the gentle, candid icons of the New Jersey gay marriage movement, discussing in television ads and Internet videos the discrimination they faced raising four children. But Thursday, the amiable Middlesex County couple suddenly found themselves under a gag order as they stood in a gantlet of gay activists lining the hallway outside the Senate. Lieutenants of Garden State Equality, on red alert for the media, swooped in and politely halted several attempts at an interview. Media inquiries were referred to the group’s leader, Steve Goldstein. Candor was out, message management was in. "Do you have his number?" a woman named Leslie said as she scrolled the screen of her cellphone, ready to provide it. She was polite, but firm, and had no intention of going away until I went away. "He can answer those questions." It’s easy to understand the new discipline. The group suffered twin public-relations setbacks this week, one beyond their control and one self-inflicted. Full Story from NorthJersey.com: http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/Stiles_NJ_gay_marriage_supporters_renew_effort.html

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