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FILe - In this Feb. 16, 2012, file photo, Assemblyman Reed Gusciora D-Trenton, left, and Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman D-Mercer, congratulate each other as the bill sponsored by Rep. Gusciora legalizing same-sex marriages, passes and is the final Legislative approval for Marriage Equality at the State House in Trenton, N.J. The 42-33 vote sends the bill to Gov. Chris Christie. The Republican governor who opposes gay marriage had promised "very swift action" if the bill reached his desk. Christie and most Republican lawmakers want gay marriage put to a popular vote. Democrats say gay marriage is a civil right protected by the Constitution and should not be subject to referendum. The country that President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are vying to lead for the next four years is not quite the same as the one four years ago, not nearly the same as the one further back in time. On May 17, 2004, dozens of same-sex couples in Massachusetts took vows to become “partners for life” as the state became the first to recognize gay marriage despite the opposition of Romney, then governor. It has since become legal as well in Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York and the District of Columbia. Thirty-one states have passed measures aimed at banning gay marriage. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)