The governor of the US state of New Jersey on Friday vetoed legislation that would have legalized gay marriage, while Maryland advanced a similar measure that appears destined to become law.

New Jersey's Governor Chris Christie, a rising star within the conservative Republican Party, had promised to take "very swift action" against the legislation, which passed the state's Democratic-controlled Assembly on Thursday 42 to 33, affirming a previous Senate vote.

After vetoing the bill, Christie proposed the introduction of a state ombudsman to enforce compliance with New Jersey's civil union law, which he said would carry on "New Jersey's strong tradition of tolerance and fairness." The governor also said that the state should hold a referendum to let voters decide whether or not they wanted to legalize gay marriage.

Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver criticized Christie's decision, saying that he was on the wrong side of the issue.

"When we look back in the annals of history, unfortunately, the governor will see that he was on the wrong side of justice," Oliver said.

New Jersey's legislature has until 2013 to overturn Christie's veto with a two-thirds majority.

Advance in Maryland

In Maryland, the House of Delegates voted 71-67 to pass a bill that would legalize gay marriage. The legislation is now set to move on to the state Senate, which passed a similar bill last year. Governor Martin O'Malley lobbied for the legislation, making it highly likely that the state will legalize same-sex marriage in the near future.

"Today, the House of Delegates voted for dignity," O'Malley posted on Twitter, saying in a subsequent post that "love is an inalienable right."

Seven of the 50 US states have now legalized gay marriage, including New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Iowa and Washington state. Washington D.C., a federal district, has also approved gay marriage. Thirty states have amended their constitutions to ban same-sex marriages.

slk/srs (AP, Reuters)