Who says there’s no separation of church and state? A day after New Jersey Catholic bishops (whose parishioners make up 40% of the Garden State’s population) rail against the same-sex marriage bill before the lame duck legislature, sponsors of the bill acknowledge their fellow legislators are running scared, even after 200 prominent Jersey Democrats, including members of Congress and lobbyists, called for passage of the bill.

From the New Jersey Star-Ledger:

“They’ve lost the momentum,” says Sen. Kip Bateman, a Somerset Republican who considered supporting the measure until last week. “I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

LGBT activists are none to happy, of course, but we’ll see if this actually turns into anything with a conservative Republican headed for New Jersey’s state house.

“Many of us in the progressive movement just want to throw up,” says Steve Goldstein of Garden State Equality, the state’s leading gay rights group. “Democrats put out one hand out to ask for money, and with the other they stab you in the back.”

Elsewhere…

California – Meanwhile, in California, a 38-year-old software programmer is leading the (satirical) charge to protect the sanctity of marriage by collecting signatures to put a referendum question on the 2010 ballot that seeks to ban divorce. “Since California has decided to protect traditional marriage, I think it would be hypocritical of us not to sacrifice some of our own rights to protect traditional marriage even more,” says John Marcotte, a married father of two. (Associated Press)

New York – A day after I declared that New York’s Governor David Paterson was stalling in his attempted career-saving hail-mary, his spokesperson says the state legislature may vote on same-gender marriage as early as tomorrow. It would appear, though, that Paterson is pulling a Pawlenty and taking the massive budget deficit “into his own hands” by delaying state aid to local schools (no word on whether or not this is constitutionally questionable in New York). Good to know you’ve got your priorities in order, guv. (WGRZ)

Rhode Island – Governor David “Sanctity of Death” Carcieri flip-flops on same-gender partnerships. A few weeks ago, he vetoed a bill that would let same-gender partners bury each other without the need for complex legal arrangements. Now, facing a barrage of criticism from state officials and LGBT-rights groups, Carcieri has declared he’s in favor of everything-but-the-name civil unions. (EDGE New England)

D.C. – Same-gender marriage vote set for today, and it’s looking like the Catholic Church could back down on its threat to stop feeding the homeless if it doesn’t get an exemption from having to provide same-sex partner benefits. (The Washington Post)

D.C. – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton clucked her tongue at the Ugandan government as it prepares to vote on a law that would make gay sex punishable by death or life in prison, but she stopped short of suggesting the US would use its main source of leverage – $250 million in US taxpayer dollars for health-related development assistance – in the dispute.

“Obviously, our efforts are hampered whenever discrimination or marginalization of certain populations results in less effective outreach and treatment,” Clinton said at a press conference, according to The Advocate. “We have to stand against any efforts to marginalize and criminalize and penalize members of the LGBT community worldwide.”

The Obama administration has taken its sweet time responding to the outcry over the law because it wasn’t sure how likely the Ugandan Parliament was to pass the law, proposed by a member of President Yoweri Museveni’s party. I guess they still thought Uganda was a democracy.

Ohio – Cleveland approves a measure including gender identity in the list of characteristics you can’t discriminate against in housing or employment. (The Advocate)

California – The Courage Campaign, one of three waring groups trying to overturn California’s Proposition 8 through the ballot box, has called off their attempt to get a repeal measure on the 2010 ballot, and instead join forces with Equality California in pushing for a 2012 repeal. Love Honor Cherish, who had been working with the Courage Campaign, will still push for a 2010 repeal. (Towleroad)