Sadly, there was no surprise to Gov. Chris Christie’s veto on Friday of the same-sex marriage bill that cleared New Jersey’s Assembly and Senate this week. Mr. Christie had said all along that he would block the measure as soon as it reached his desk. That does not change the message of intolerance or lessen the pain for gay residents and their families. Mr. Christie compounded the insult when he dismissed the Legislature’s support for the rights of gay people as merely “an exercise in theater.” The only one who deserves that accusation is Governor Christie, who is clearly pandering to his own conservative base.

Seven states in the nation have approved same-sex marriage, including, most recently, Washington. Gov. Christine Gregoire, a Democrat, even wrote to Mr. Christie in January offering to speak with him about her own “personal journey” from believing churches should decide the issue to supporting the freedom to marry. It “is the right thing to do and it is time,” she said in a speech that she attached to her letter. On Friday, Maryland’s House approved a same-sex marriage measure. The Maryland Senate is expected to pass it next week, and Gov. Martin O’Malley stands ready to sign it.

The fight in New Jersey isn’t over. The Legislature has until January 2014, when the current session ends, to secure a two-thirds vote in both houses to override Mr. Christie’s veto. It won’t be easy, but minds can be changed. In January 2010, New Jersey’s Senate defeated the same-sex marriage bill by a vote of 20 to 14. On Tuesday, the bill cleared the Senate 24 to 16, with two Republican members voting with the majority. This isn’t about theater and shouldn’t be about politics. Marriage equality is a basic right.