"Just because we may have two moms or two dads doesn't make us different," 10-year-old Nicole, of West Orange, told a crowd of nearly 300 on Sunday. "It's just our parents!"

Members of the audience hooted and cheered, and they would again and again as they listened to children talk at a town hall-style meeting in Summit with the theme "Let My Parents Marry!"

"I hope my second mom will have equal rights and be able to live her life," said Scott Brunner, 16, of New Milford, whose father lives as a woman.

"My parents have been together for 31 years and they can't get married," said 12-year-old Josh Kilian-Meneghin, who lives with his mother and her female partner.

The meeting Sunday was the 20th in a series organized by Garden State Equality, a gender-rights/political action group whose platform includes lobbying for gay marriage.

In June, an appellate court ruled against gay marriage in New Jersey. The plaintiffs - seven same-sex couples with 12 children among them - appealed to the state Supreme Court, which is expected to have a hearing on the matter early next year.

On Sunday at The Unitarian Church, the Rev. Vanessa Southern cuddled her infant daughter as the Rev. Rob Gregson, a colleague from a Hunterdon County congregation, cradled his infant son. Southern, who has a husband, said it was unjust that Gregson and his gay partner could not marry in their home state.

Two of the young speakers were from families with heterosexual parents. Mattie Feder and Dan Knitzer, 14-year-olds from Montclair, said they became active in gender-rights issues as a result of a social studies assignment. Together, they told the crowd, they gathered more than 200 names on a petition in support of same-sex marriage.

Crowd members recited a list of spousal benefits to which they are not entitled, including Social Security payments, health insurance, inheritances and pensions. One woman pointed out that the law precludes one spouse from testifying against another, a right not applied to same-sex couples.

They held jobs, bought homes and paid property taxes and contributed to their communities, the couples said. Most important, they said, they provided stable, loving homes for their children. Their message: In all the ways that matter, they were no different from straight parents.

"We all need the same rights. We all need to be legal," said Denise Brunner of New Milford, a plumber who was born male but who started living as a woman last year. Brunner, who has a son and daughter, turned to the roomful of children and said: "Thank you, kids. You've given us more than we could ever want."

"These kids asked for a meeting," he added. "They are old enough and mature enough and so articulate. They wanted to tell their own experience."

Nicole Gregory, for one, said her experience included wearing her rainbow-patterned skirt whenever and wherever she likes. She'll rise above the boys who once made fun of her skirt - and by extension, poked fun at her two dads.

This is cache, read story here