It’s law: Gay couples can soon wed in NH
Related News
- 01/06/10 — Battle Over Marriage Equality in DC Moves to Court
- 12/03/09 — 2010 gay marriage vote unlikely in California
- 12/01/09 — One question divides same-sex marriage proponents: When?
- 11/10/09 — Rep. Yates proposes overturning Ohio’s same-sex marriage ban
- 11/03/09 — State’s voters opt for pragmatism
- More LGBT Equality news
Union Leader: Acting quickly after final Senate and House votes yesterday, Gov. John Lynch signed into law a group of three bills that allow same-sex marriage in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire is the sixth state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage. The new law becomes effective Jan. 1, 2010.
Lynch signed the bills in a crowded Executive Council chamber less than 90 minutes after the House voted 198-176 to pass HB 73 (text), the final piece of the marriage package. The bills allow any two adults to marry. They also bar lawsuits against religious groups and workers if they refuse to participate in gay weddings or celebrations that go against their faiths.
Debate on the issue occupied the Legislature for the last five months and drew more than 1,000 people to a series of public hearings. Gay marriage advocates said the bills draw a clear line between religious and civil marriage and argued they are a matter of civil rights. Critics said Democrats were pushing an agenda that the rest of New Hampshire is not ready for. They said same-sex marriage runs against centuries of tradition and religious practice.
Now, Lynch said, the state needs to put the debate behind it.
To read more, click here.
Comments
There are no comments for this entry.
