In New Jersey, the state’s civil union law went into effect today. Early this morning, Steven Goldstein and Daniel Gross of Teaneck became the first same-sex couple to be granted all the state’s legal rights of marriage. On Sunday, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey issued a statement applauding the new rights afforded to same-sex couples but said the new law has many shortcomings. The group’s legal director, Ed Barocas, said, “It is a wonderful moment — and a step toward equality — yet it also marks a sad and unfulfilling moment in the history of our state, as it is the day in which we officially institutionalize discrimination.”