"We have witnessed many civil rights battles in America, but the civil rights battle of the moment is marriage equality. Same-sex couples who agree to enter committed, long-term relationships should be able to enjoy the same legal protections as other families.

"Gov. Chris Christie disagrees. Making matters worse, the governor is trying to hide his position by punting this civil rights issue to a referendum, saying, 'I think people would have been happy to have a referendum on civil rights rather than fighting and dying in the streets in the South.'

"This was a shameful statement and the governor’s half-hearted apology doesn’t change the fact that he wants to hide behind a referendum to avoid showing leadership on one of the most significant civil rights issues of our time."

http://blog.nj.com/njv_guest_blog/2012/02/nj_gov_christie_wrong_on_civil.html