Diner Patron Takes Chris Christie to Task Over Marriage Equality Opposition

It hasn’t been a good week for governors who oppose marriage equality. Just ask Governor Corbett, whose name has become synonymous with the words “gay” and “incest” since he made that ridiculous fumble last week on TV. Chris Christie’s not faring too well, either. Marriage equality advocates are none too pleased with the governor since he appealed a judge’s recent ruling that gay marriage will be legalized in the state of New Jersey. One local woman, Bert Bueno, even debated him on the issue this afternoon in a diner in Edison, N.J. The Advocate reports:

“How come you’re in opposition?” Bueno, a straight woman, asked the Republican leader.

“Listen: Lots of different people have different views on this,” Christie responded. “I think marriage should be between a man and a woman. … My view is: If you want to change it, put it on the ballot. Let everybody decide. It shouldn’t be decided by courts. It shouldn’t be decided by politicians in Trenton. It should be decided by everybody. If the majority of the people of New Jersey want same-sex marriage, I’ll enforce the law.”

In a four-minute exchange, Christie claimed that he has gay friends and relatives, and he contested Bueno’s stance that marriage equality is “a human rights issue.”

“The fact is: We’ve been very supportive of a lot of other things, like banning gay conversion therapy,” said Christie, who signed a bill last month that banned use of the discredited practice on minors. “This is an issue where we have an honest difference of opinion. OK, so you put it on the ballot — you vote your way, I vote my way. And whoever gets the most votes wins.”

The governor may want to get used to having discussions like this. A recent poll says that two-thirds of the state support the judge’s decision to make marriage equality legal in New Jersey.