“The fact of the matter is, 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.”

— New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), quoted by the Philadelphia inquirer, arguing that gay marriage should be decided by voters in a ballot referendum.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan told Metro Weekly that he ”absolutely” supports the legalization of same sex marriage in New York.

Said Donovan: ”It made me proud to be a New Yorker — not enough to get me to move back. We’ve got more work to do in the Obama administration in a second term.”

Asked if that included marriage equality, Donovan confirmed it did, saying, “Like marriage equality.”