New Hampshire Governor Signs Gay Unions Into Law
 

Describing it as a means of furthering "fairness, dignity and the strengthening of New Hampshire families," Gov. John Lynch signed a bill yesterday allowing gay and lesbian couples to enter civil unions.

Facing a packed room of supporters, Lynch said the law was part of the state's long commitment to civil rights and equality.

"Dating back to the abolitionist movement in New Hampshire, we have a long and proud history of opposing discrimination," he said. "Today, that tradition continues."

Legislators who attended the session snapped pictures and applauded loudly several times during the governor's comments. After Lynch signed the bill into law, many spectators cheered.

With his signature, Lynch made New Hampshire the fourth state to offer civil unions to same-sex couples, and the only one to do so without pressure from lawsuits. Under the bill, which will take effect Jan. 1, same-sex couples who join in civil unions will have all the "rights, responsibilities and obligations" of married couples.

Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, who stood behind the governor during the ceremony, said he planned to enter a civil union with his longtime partner Mark Andrews next year. Though his own support for gay rights has caused conflicts in his church, Robinson said that the New Hampshire law would strengthen the state by promoting equality.

"It's really an affirmation of very conservative values," he said. "The church and society support marriage because it's about offering our children a stable environment to grow up in."

Sponsors and supporters of the bill said they were heartened by the governor's comments.

"This is the high point of all of the efforts that I and others have made to work toward equality for gays and lesbians," said Ed Butler, a Democrat from Hart's Location, who supported the bill.

Though Lynch's statement yesterday expressed clear support for the law, the governor did not immediately champion the bill after it passed the House in early April. For several weeks, Lynch said that he needed to speak to legislators before reaching a decision. Yesterday, he described his process of deliberation, saying that he had discussed the issue with hundreds of New Hampshire residents.

Dana Hilliard, a Somersworth Democrat, who was one of the bill's sponsors in the House, said that he was never concerned about the governor's final decision, but he understood it would take Lynch time to "process."

"For this governor, who is very popular, coming out and signing this publicly sends a very strong message," Hilliard said.

Until yesterday, it was unclear whether the governor would sign the bill in public. He received the bill from legislators last night, according to his spokesman Colin Manning, and decided to sign it right away.

"The governor only has five days" to sign the bill, Manning said. "We decided that because it was a session day, it was a good opportunity for all the supporters to be there."

But critics of the bill said that the governor should have given more notice before the ceremony. His staff announced the event less than two hours before it was held.

"The governor did not want any public attention on this if he could help it," said Fergus Cullen, the chairman of the state Republican Party. "That's just not political courage."

The civil unions bill passed the House by a 2-to-1 margin. In the Senate, legislators voted for it 14-10, along party lines.

It was a departure from the Legislature's discussion of same-sex unions in recent years, which had never before included legal recognition. Three years ago, legislators passed a bill preventing the state from recognizing out-of-state gay unions. In 2005, a legislative commission formed to investigate gay marriage recommended a constitutional amendment to ban it, though that proposal had little support.

The bill's supporters credited the new Democratic majority with enacting the change but also said that public acceptance of civil unions has matured as residents have had time to see how similar measures have worked in neighboring states.

In New England, Vermont and Connecticut allow civil unions, Maine offers domestic partnerships for gay couples, and Massachusetts is the only state in the country to allow gay marriage.

"I think society has come a long way," said Portsmouth Rep. Jim Splaine, who sponsored the bill. "We've come a long way, and now New Hampshire has stepped up to the plate."

http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/p...TORY/706010403
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Well, hopefully this will open the door for other states to follow...gays have as much right to be as miserable in unions/marriages as us heteros ;-)