Is New Hampshire Going Back To The Dark Ages?

Seriously, it's like watching a bad game of tennis.
It's legal. It's not. It's legal. It's not.
And now, New Hampshire lawmakers have moved closer to a vote that would repeal the state's 15-month-old marriage equality law and replace it with civil unions for any unmarried adults.
Including relatives. Relatives?.

The House Judiciary Committee voted 11-6 to recommend that marriage equality be erased  from the law  books and to establish civil unions for any unmarried adults competent to enter into a contract; the committee did, however, recommend killing a second bill that would simply repeal gay marriage.
Just turn all those same-sex marriages in civil unions, eh? Except that the bill would not enact the same civil unions law that was in effect before marriage equality. That law granted gay men and women all the rights and responsibilities of marriage except the right to call themselves married. 
The newly proposed civil unions law would be open to any two adults and would let anyone refuse to recognize the unions. The newly proposed civil unions law would allow anyone to discriminate against the couples in employment, housing and public accommodations based on religious or moral beliefs. 
However, the newly proposed repeal bills would not apply to gay marriages that have already occurred, but would stop new ones. So, some of the gays can be married in new Hampshire, but the rest cannot. Talk about inequality, eh?

The full House will vote on the bills early next year, and if they pass the repeal bill, it would go to the Senate. So, it ain't exactly a done deal.

And Democratic Governor John Lynch has repeatedly said he will veto attempts by the Republican-controlled Legislature to repeal the law, which he signed in 2009. New Hampshire enacted civil unions in 2007 for same-sex couples and two years later replaced that law with the marriage law. Lynch also signed the civil unions law.

My question is this?
Why are the Republicans spending so much time worrying about marriage equality? Is there no job crisis in New Hampshire? No mortgage crisis? No economic worries? No healthcare woes? Is New Hampshire doing so fantastically that the legislators, the Republican legislators, need only focus on whether or not gay folks can marry?
Surely, people of New Hampshire, you are not fine with this.

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Happy Anniversary

It's been a year already and, well, not much has changed.

New Hampshire hasn't fallen into the ocean, or been swallowed up by a giant state-wide sinkhole; there were no Hounds Of Hell tracking down The Gays, and Satan never appeared to claim New Hampshire as his summer home.

Yes, today marks the one year anniversary of Governor John Lynch signing gay marriage into law.

It's party time in New Hampshire.

Congratulations on taking that giant step toward equality.

Now, if only those other states.....

Inch By Inch. And Now It's A Reality!

UPDATE 2: New Hampshire Governor John Lynch just signed legislation to make New Hampshire the sixth state to allow marriage equality.
Lynch said, upon signing: "Today we're standing up for the liberties of same-sex couples by making clear they will receive the same rights, responsibilities, and respect under New Hampshire law."
Way to go, New Hampshire!

UPDATE 1: The New Hampshire House voted 198-176 to accept the Committee of Conference Report on H.B. 73 for marriage equality with religious protections.
The bill now goes before Governor John Lynch to sign.

Good for you, New Hampshire!

The New Hampshire State Senate voted today 14-10 to pass the equal marriage compromise bill, although rumor has it that the House is a harder sell.

Excuse me, but why do we have to sell anyone on the idea of non-discrimination and equality for all Americans? Seriously.

The compromise bill includes a provision that allows any religious institution to decide who they will marry.

Okay, that's not so bad, but I do believe that if marriage equality passes and these homophobic, bigoted, antiquated churches see gay dollars being spent elsewhere, they'll sing a different tune. Quite possibly a showtune, because we all know that the Dollar is the Almighty God to a lot of these churches.

Democratic Senator Beth Reynolds:

“The changes augment, buttress and bolster the rights of religious freedom and they strike the appropriate balance between two values that the people of New Hampshire support, equal rights for all and the right to religious freedom.’’

And who would have ever guessed this: all Democrats voted in favor of the bill; and all Republicans voted against it.

Still the same old GOP.

Let's hope the House passes it, and that Governor Lynch signs it as he has said he would.