G'afternoon Kossacks!
As of now, it appears that New Hampshire's Senate has passed the gay marriage bill HB 436 in a vote of 13 Yea, 11 nay. This news is coming from reporter Tom Fahey at the The Union Leader, in New Hampshire. This news is still coming to light, so I'll try to update it today as I learn more. I'm sorry that this diary is rather brief, and so I'll work to update it. Click Here for Kos's entry on the New Hampshire developments, or Here for another diary on the matter from Freedapeople.
Tom Fahey at The Union Leader is reporting (as of about 2:37pm) that a bill for same sex marriage has passed! This passage will likely be viewed as a major victory in the struggle for human rights since the Senate was viewed as the toughest chamber in which to pass this legislation. The reporter Tom Fahey gives a good bit of context in his larger article, but here's an excerpt of it --
Concord – A bill legalizing same-sex marriage in New Hampshire passed the Senate today on a 13-11 vote.
The bill, amended on the Senate floor, draws a distinction between civil and religious marriage, and says that any two individuals have a right to join together in a civil marriage.
Last week Senate Judiciary Committee chair Sen. Deborah Reynolds, D-Reynolds, opposed the bill and voted with a committee majority that it should be killed. She said voters in her district told her they favor the legislation, and urged the Senate to vote for an amendment that was drawn up Tuesday night.
She said the wording "gives everyone in the state the right to seek a civil marriage ... This is a compromise that is respectful to both sides in this debate and meets our shared goals of equality in state laws for all the people of New Hampshire. The people of this state share the core values of equality for all, tolerance and acceptance regardless of our differences"
Republicans voted in a block against the measure, joined by Sen. Lou D’Allesandro, D-Manchester.
The Republicans in New Hampshire continue to work against the pursuit of marriage equality. Is anyone else surprised that the Republicans voted against same sex marriage? I'm not surprised at all. So now, the issue is whether the House of Representatives and the Governor will similarly side with those seeking equality. The Governor, John Lynch, has not been a supporter of same sex marriage, but some believe that he won't stand in the way. The Unionleader.com news-site also makes this point --
Nothing requires Lynch to sign the bill into law. He can let it take effect without his signature once it arrives on his desk.
Only time will tell it appears. If the bill passes in the House, and Lynch doesn't veto the bill, New Hampshire would become the 5th state in the United States to allow Same Sex Marriage after Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa and Vermont. If you'd like more details, click Herefor the full article by Tom Fahey. Another newspaper, the Concord Monitor, also has a story on their Website Here.
In a related vein today, a bill to grant transgender people greater rights was sadly rejected by the Senate in a vote of 24 Nay - 0 Yea. I'll update this diary in the coming minutes, but I have to say I'm disappointed that the senate has dismissed the rights of transgender people. Even though I'm thrilled about the possibility of marriage equality, I'm upset that the rights of transgender people are being disregarded. It seems this is a bittersweet kind of day for those concerned with equality and freedom.
If you'd like to write Governor Lynch and express your support of same sex marriage (or marriage equality), you can contact him via e-mail Here, or you can write him via his postal mail address below. I'll also post his fax number and phone number in case you prefer to express yourself verbally, etc.
Office of the Governor
State House
25 Capitol Street
Concord, NH 03301
(603)271-2121 (tel)
(603)271-7680 (fax)