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Loading ...NH gay bill shelved
01.30.2009 3:05pm EST
(Concord, New Hampshire) A bill that would have mandated that partners in civil unions be added to all state insurance laws was put on hold just as House committee was about to hold a hearing on the measure.
Rep. Edward Butler (D), the bill’s sponsor, pulled the legislation, saying there were other measures dealing with same-sex couples that should be considered first.Among those is a proposal to change New Hampshire’s year old civil union law to allow for full marriage. A hearing on that bill is scheduled for Feb. 5.
Republicans have filed a bill that would start the process to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage and the legislature will consider a bill that would maintain civil unions and direct the government to recognize civil unions and gay marriages performed in states and countries where they are legal as civil unions in New Hampshire.
Rep. Jim Splaine, who sponsored the state’s civil unions law, said he believes there will be enough votes to pass his same-sex marriage bill and to block an attempt to amend the constitution.
Since January 2008 when the civil union law came into effect, some 600 same-sex civil unions have been conducted in the state.
Same-sex marriage is legal in two New England states – Massachusetts and Connecticut. New Hampshire is one of the six others that Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders has targeted to legalize gay marriage.
GLAD won marriage equality in court rulings in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Last November it launched the “Six by Twelve” campaign to legalize gay marriage by 2012.
Lawmakers in Maine and Vermont are expected to take up same-sex marriage bills this year.
This thing NEEDS to be passed. If all these people who are against gay “marriage” just realize that with aeverything else going on in the world, that two people who find eachother and vow to love and care for eachother no matter what, til death do us part…in this world today is a miracle. I never understood why it mattered to those who have nothing to do with the two individuals who want to marry. 99.9% of the time they don’t even know the people, just that they are gay and so they “must be terrible people”. I think those who are against, need to spend time with and actually learn to understand the LGBT family…I think they would soon find out there are more of us than thay think, and that the straight community is not as big as they had hoped…there are more and more of us coming out everyday and coming out YOUNGER… People need to get a grip, the constitution was written for ALL not just a selective few. May favorite saying: “There wouldn’t be Gay people if God didn’t make us”. Although I don’t think religion has anything to do with it, there are so many religious freaks out there who contradict the bible every day I felt I had to put that in. BTW, My girlfriend and I are getting married (civil union: see we still call it marriage) In September 2009 and we are proud of who we are.
Well, I hope they pass this, because when my husband and I flew out to Mass to get married, we flew into Boston, even though it would have been cheaper to fly into Manchester, NH, and the car rental would have been cheaper, all because we decided to spend every penny in Massachusetts – so see, NH, you missed out!
Everybody needs to support Mass equality financially, they are driving the equal rights support in all of New England.
I’ve given them thousands. i hope you can help also, in line with your income and assets.
Stephen1553@gmail.com (not my primary email, fyi for the religious goons.
Good point, Dr. Bob. And the political creeps funding all this, know ultimately that they’ll lose the battle. But let them spend the hell out of the issue. When the dust settles, their coffers will be empty and their supporters will be so disillusioned so much that they’ll have no fight left in them.
Republicans introduce a bill to amend the constitution to ban same sex marriage, thereby totally absolving themselves from their oath of office to protect and defend the constitution. They are not amending the constitution they are revising it, writing discrimination in and equal rights out. They are not protecting and defending lgbt rights, they are excluding lgbt from constitutional protections. They must be challenged and stopped. Prop.8 will be overthrown as unconstitutional. Likewise in every other state that tries this tactic.
I have live in NH most of my life and never thought I’d see the day my partner and I could have a Civil Union, nevermind a marriage – God Bless Rep. Splaine for all his work.
I certainly do hope that gay marriage is approved in NH – we need some momentum back on our side after the CA set-back.