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Loading ...Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine mull gay marriage bills
02.06.2009 3:45pm EST
(Montpellier, Vermont) Same-sex marriage is inching forward in three more New England states with the introduction of marriage equality bills in Vermont and Maine, and a public hearing on a similar bill in New Hampshire. Gay marriage already is legal in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Vermont was the first state in the country to legalize civil unions in 2000. Since then LGBT groups have criticized the law for creating a “two tiered” system – marriage for opposite-sex couples and civil unions for gays.An 11-member commission was set up by the leaders of the Vermont House and Senate, both Democrats, to look into Vermont’s civil unions law to see if it is providing equality for gay and lesbian couples.
It submitted its report to the legislature last April, but made no recommendations on revising the law to allow for same-sex marriage.
On Thursday, Reps. Mark Larson (D) and David Zuckerman (P) introduced legislation to convert civil unions to marriage.
“For me personally it makes sense that we would treat all people the same,” said Larson in filing the bill. The bill has 59 sponsors but it is unclear if that will be enough to ensure passage.
No Republicans have signed on as sponsors, but House GOP Leader Patti Komline has said she would vote for it.
Even if the measure does pass the legislature, Gov. Jim Douglas has said he would veto the bill.
In New Hampshire, more than 100 people turned out for a committee hearing on a gay marriage bill.
The state approved civil unions last year. A same-sex marriage bill was filed this year. One of those appearing before the Judiciary committee was a co-sponsor of the bill – state Rep. Edward Butler who came with his partner, Leslie Schoof.
Butler said that civil unions are unequal.
“We knew that this was accepting a back seat in the bus,” Butler told the committee. “But many of us felt it was a step in the right direction.” Butler went on to say that now is the time to take the next step.
Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson – the first openly gay bishop in the Anglican faith – told lawmakers that same-sex marriage is a matter of fairness.
“Ladies and gentleman of the Judiciary Committee, don’t let the religious opponents to marriage equality you will hear from today and in the days to come make you afraid to do what is right,” Robinson said.
But Rep. Daniel Itse (R) told the committee that civil unions already have cheapened marriage and allowing same-sex couples to wed would result in a rise in out-of-wedlock births.
“Young people now see no need to get married,” Itse said. “It just doesn’t mean anything anymore.”
Gov. John Lynch opposes the bill but has not said if he would veto it should it pass.
Republican lawmakers say they will introduce a bill to constitutionally ban same-sex marriage in the state.
A same-sex marriage bill was introduced in the Maine legislature last month.
Tell Rep Daniel Itse to review the case of the octuplets in CA… single Mom (though not that young) with six kids already; have 8 more… did gays getting married cause this to happen? What kind of nonsense is he selling? I live in NH (with my husband) and wonder how he got elected!
But Rep. Daniel Itse (R) told the committee that civil unions already have cheapened marriage and allowing same-sex couples to wed would result in a rise in out-of-wedlock births.
“Young people now see no need to get married,” Itse said. “It just doesn’t mean anything anymore.”
Well, no one ever said that intelligence was required to be elected to the legislatures of the various states. I suppose that the above statement simply proves that it is not a requirement.
Rep. Daniel Itse (R) told the committee that civil unions already have cheapened marriage and allowing same-sex couples to wed would result in a rise in out-of-wedlock births.
Talk about delusional! I wonder what drugs he’s on to come up with ‘logic’ like that?
Oh, good gravy. Abstinence-only education is now being used to defend anti-gay positions?
Does this make anyone else smell burnt toast, or is it just me?
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
Vermont has a GOP governor, so that state is likely forced to keep on with civil unions until he leaves office, in New Hampshire the rightwing nuts want a constitutional amendment and in Maine, Equailty Maine (EQME) said that their governor supports marriage equality and as does both houses of the Maine legislature, and that if marriage equality didn’t stand a chance at this time in Maine, they (EQME) wouldn’t have been pushing for it this year. So, we’ll see. The legislators in VT whose marriage bill will likely get vetoed, likely will try again to present the marriage equality bill a bit later even if the gov. vetoes it this time. The population of VT has had about almost 9 years to get used to civil unions being there. Marriage should get easier for them as time passes. The sky has not fallen in Massachusetts, the state is doing just fine with both gay and straight marriage there, we are getting no news of problems of a popular backlash against marriage equality in Connecticut which got marriage equality in 2008. Maybe Maine will be the next New England marriage state since it has the support of both its gov and of legislaors in both parts of the statehouse there. Rhode Island with have a better chance at because it is losing due to term limits in that state its antigay marriage GOP gov in 2010. And all the current gov candidates for RI gov are pro marriage equality and include the possibility that the openly gay mayor of RI’s capital city Providence David Cicilline becoming the nation’s first openly gay governor ever of a US state.
As for Daniel Itse who sent me an one-sentence e-mail when I challenged his reasoning, saying basically that what he is saying is true, I say time for champions of equality to take his seat away from him in the next round of NH state elections.
Shame that one of New England’s most scenically spectacular states (I have been there and it is gorgeous in the fall in NH and also its mountains) has to have such nonsense in it as that from Rep. Daniel Itse.
Unfortunately this seems to be what we are seeing but the East Coast in particular the New England states is going to be leading the fight for marriage equality during 2009 and 2010. This article was merely restating what I said before this article came out would likely happen in the New England states. (I did not know of Rep Itse but I had read here and there what was happening in this New England state and that and roughly what kind of “timeline” track” each New England state was likely on re: marriage equality.
One article sometime ago painted NH as not in hurry to move forward from civil unions and some work might be needed there to move marriage equality forward in that state.
Any comment on that picture of NH Kevin Fernie?
To correct the story: Gov. Jim Douglas has NOT said he would Veto the bill. He has sepcifically refused to answer that question. Speculation is that he won’t sign it which means after 5 days it would become law. It is very doubtful that he would veto it.
As long as the referendum system exists in the half-assed hick state of maine then you can,sadly, count on Marriage Equality going right down the shit tube!
As a lesson learned from Prop 8, a note to the equal marriage supporters in Maine, NH and Vermont…you need to amend your state constitution first to make sure that it takes a 2/3rds vote for an amendment to pass…its good enough for our US Constitution…its good enough for state constitutions.
Native: “As long as the referendum system exists in the half-assed hick state of maine then you can,sadly, count on Marriage Equality going right down the shit tube!”
Native, are you a Maine Native? I think it does that great state an inustice calling it a half-assessed hick state and I wonder if you truly know Maine. Maybe you need to travel to Arkansas, or Kentucky or Tenessee before you call a great Northeastern state hick!
Yes, there are a lot of country folk in Maine but they are not the types of bigots I know in the South where my family is from.
I actually grew up in Connecticut and spend a lot of time in Maine now and it is really one of the best states I’ve been associated with.
People “get it” in Maine. Fairness is something all my neighbors there are very proud of….fair in a way we city folk may not understand. They work very hard, the lowest on the employment scale often working two tides, sometimes under truck headlights, to dig worms for mid Atlantic sport fisherman. If you think you know hard work, just try bending over for 5 hours and digging in thick mud. Everyone respects the wormers even though they rarely have teeth and you can’t understand their dialect. They are revered for working hard, doing a job that requires no skill, just that you show up, rather than be on the take.
In Maine neighbors look out for each other. People marry first cousins, sometimes out of necessity, and the ones I know make sure they don’t procreate. Everyone seems to welcome them knowing they are preserving a large extended family and keeping the homestead up for generations to enjoy. There is a respect for family, any kind of family that works, it seems.
Maine is full of rural intellectual types, people that rake blueberries and write poetry.
I gave a dinner once and had guests from the highest part of society down to the local harbor master and a few fisherman. Everyone got along in grand style and added to the conversation.
Maine has a practical sensibility that allows freethinkers and pentacostals to have vibrant discussions and leave better friends than the adversaries their creeds would suggest.
I could go on…customer service in Maine is like nowhere else, life may be simple (I wish there were better restaurants) but people thrive off the scenic beauty and local community during the long winters.
Sure, the referendum process is not ideal, but don’t throw away the whole state, one of our greatest, with your sweeping gesture. What makes you think an anti marriage amendment would pass in the first place? I know my neighbors….it wouldn’t pass in my small town.