We often assume that before marriage equality, we had only “traditional” marriage. But changes to marriage progressed more strangely than we might expect, especially in New Jersey. This program will use court cases to rethink LGBTQ+ rights, marriage, and the law. Cases involving a judge refusing to grant a divorce for a woman after her husband was incarcerated, alimony for a transwoman, and custody issues for LGBTQ+ parents. Through these court cases, participants can consider how our state was sometimes a haven for LGBTQ+ people, and other times deeply oppressive. We will look at forces against LGBTQ+ and how they struck back. Presented by Alison L. Lefkovitz, assistant professor of history and director of the Law, Technology and Culture Program at NJIT and funded with a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.