Dozens of gay New Hampshire couples celebrating civil unions

[struggle4progress]

Source: Associated Press

January 1, 2008 8:05 AM ET

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Dozens of gay and lesbian couples in New Hampshire are spending New Year's Day as legal couples ...

Read more: http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=7563341&nav=menu183_2

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Dozens of gay couples get hitched in New Hampshire

... Despite below-freezing temperatures, 37 couples took part ...

... New Hampshire's civil unions law gives same-sex couples the all the rights, responsibilities and obligations that married couples have, except for the word "marriage." The lawmaker who sponsored it says he hopes full marriage equality will come next.

Civil unions are also allowed in Vermont, Connecticut and New Jersey. Massachusetts is currenty the only state that allows gay marriage ...

http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=7563215&nav=HMO6HMaW



New Hampshire Legalizes Same-Sex Civil Unions
January 1, 2008 7:19 a.m. EST

... A February survey conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center said 74 percent of residents said they will not be bothered if gay couples are able to secure a marriage license ...

New Hampshire is the fourth state to permit civil unions, but the first to do it without a court decision or the threat of one. New Hampshire Governor John Lynch signed the law on May, which grants same-sex couples the same rights, responsibilities and obligations as married male-female couples, but it does not call the union a marriage.

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7009586752

[gaiilonfong]

1. Good on them

I live in Florida, I went to Canada to marry my partner of 25 years!

[krispos42]

2. "allows gay marriage"

not "recognizes the inheirent right of same-sex marriage".

Interesting turn of phrase there.

[monmouth]

3. I'm loving NH more and more each day. What a great post and

good news to start the new year. There are many stupid, and I don't use that word lightly, stupid rules, regs, and laws re gay marriage and for the life of me cannot imagine why. I mean with all of the horrendous problems facing this nation, why in God's name is this such an issue? Two people are in love, they want to spend their life together; what is the problem? Will gay couples marrying affect my economy, health, outlook and perspective? Of course not. My wish as far as the big picture goes is that this will stop being an issue, along with religion, in the not too far distant future. Both issues are just not relevant. I live in Florida, looks like the issue will be on the ballot. NH is starting to look really good to me.

[lisby]

4. I wish them nothing but love and happiness

on a day that has been very long in coming.


:party: :toast: :thumbsup: :woohoo:

[maxanne]

5. my NH New Year's Eve

A friend who is a justice of the peace and owns an inn was performing a civil union at midnight and suggested I drive up to be part of this historic event.

Hart's Location is about 20 minutes away. The inn is on the side of a mountain - and there is no light pollution - nothing but a few scattered homes for miles around. The inn is beautifully lit. I walk toward it, hearing the river to my right, through the stark white birches and the pines. The stars are so bright. It is perfect, so still, and so beautiful.

Inside, there's a fire in the fireplace, and the inn is decorated for the holidays. A reporter from NH Public Television is there - as surprised to see me as I am to see him. He didn't know that I live in the area, or that the owners of the inn are my friends. I didn't know he'd be taping the ceremony. We laugh.

I meet Neil and Jeff, the happy couple - and they are happy. There are no jitters - they are ready for this. We chat for a few minutes, and Neil tells me I look familiar - then he remembers, and asks, "weren't you at that hearing of the marriage commission in Littleton? Didn't you testify? You said you were the kind of heterosexual who gives marriage a bad name?" I hung my head and admitted that was me - and they both threw their arms around me and said "We love you - that was so great!"

We all gather in the small living room, by the Christmas tree. Richard (from NHPTV) has the cameras set up. Neil and Jeff have a niece and a friend with them, and a few of the inn's guests trickle in to observe. Everyone is poised - and we begin the countdown to midnight. The new civil union law takes effect on January 1. I'm the timekeeper. As I coundown to midnight, everyone joins me - and after a quick cheer of "Happy New Year, " Ed begins the ceremony.

It is moving, and a little awkward - this is uncharted linguistic territory. There's a brief stumble over pronouns. It doesn't matter - we chuckle and move on. Jeff and Neil are radiantly happy. I forget that Richard is there with a camera. It's a very sweet, warm, and funny service. Ed pronounces them legally joined. They kiss. We all applaud - and we all hug one another.

There is champagne, and toasts, and cake - all of the things one would expect at a wedding. This isn't legally a wedding - but that doesn't change the way it feels. This feels like a wedding - only more joyous.

Civil unions are brand new (2 hrs and 15 minutes old as I write this) in NH. We don't know yet what this will mean for our state. Will this derail marriage equality? What are the legal differences between civil union and marrriage in NH? Will this have an impact on other states?

It's too soon to tell. What I know tonight is this - two people who love each other made a serious commitment to one another in front of friends, family, a handful of strangers, and two Burmese Mountain dogs. That it was two men didn't feel strange at all

[MuseRider]

6. You just made me tear up.

That is so lovely. I hope to be able to attend many weddings of my friends in the future, we just have to work harder to make it happen. How lovely (I am also one of the hets that give marriage a bad name, I am not overly fond of the institution myself).

[monmouth]

7. Me neither...lol. n/t

[SoxFan]

12. MAXANNE!

I haven't seen you on here in ages!

Tell those campaign kids that you sent out into the snowstorm this afternoon that they rock!

[JerseygirlCT]

13. That's very sweet! nt

[Tesha]

8. Aww, man, *THAT* explains the plague of locusts that moved up from Massachusetts!

Aww, man, so *THAT* explains the plague of locusts
that just moved north from Massachusetts! And I
suppose we can expect frogs next, the Merrimack
River to run red like blood, and fire to start
falling from the sky?

Well, more realistically, it *IS* snowing up a
storm right now, but I don't remember that
particular plague being listed in the Bible.
So I guess life here in the Granite State will
somehow just find a way to go on, even in the
face of gay civil unions. ;)

Tesha

[phrigndumass]

9. A plague of snow ...

Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell say the plague of snow is your just punishment for enabling the homosexuals. I say build a giant snow penis!

:)

Good for New Hampshire!

[Tesha]

10. Mostly, Mr. Tesha just hangs around outside building muscles.

> I say build a giant snow penis!

Mostly, Mr. Tesha just hangs around outside building
muscles by shoveling snow. No, not *THAT* muscle!
But good muscles, regardless! ;)

Tesha

[davidinalameda]

14. if he can shovel snow using THAT muscle

send him my way

:woohoo:


:blush:

[David__77]

11. Good news.

I'm glad to hear this. NH is truly becoming a progressive state. It's courageous and it's the kind of courage we need on the national level, as opposed to the politics of the lowest common denominator and the politics of opportunism.

[Orsino]

15. BREAKING: New Hampshire enters twentieth century...

...with half-assed pseudo-marriage. Well, okay. Three-quarters-assed.

Most other states cower in fear of Gay Cooties and a fictional deity's hate.

[Tesha]

16. Actually, there's no difference between...

Actually, in New Hampshire's laws, there's *NO DIFFERENCE
AT ALL* between a civil marriage and a civil union. None. Nada.
Zip. Zilch. Zero.

The difference lies in factors that are external to New Hampshire
such as Federal laws.

And quite honestly, I'm starting to get tired of people deriding
what the brave legislators of New England and Ecotopia have done.
I'm tired of hearing the pissing and moaning about how awful it
is that in those places the glass is only 9/10 full. Let's see
some positive action in some other parts of the country; so far,
all I see are constitutional amendments and laws that not only
*DON'T* put one damned drop in the glass, they completely smash
the glass to flinders and shove the sharp shards down people's
throats.

Tesha

[Orsino]

17. If there were absolutely no difference, both would be called marriage.

There's still wiggle room for laws affecting only legal marriage, with rights that civil unioners may still have to fight for in court.

I will go on deriding shadow marriage as unconstitutional discrimination based on sex, which it is--even as I celebrate it as an important step.

[Tesha]

18. Not in NH state law. You're just plain wrong.

> There's still wiggle room for laws affecting only legal marriage,
> with rights that civil unioners may still have to fight for in court.

Not in NH state law. You're just plain wrong.

Tesha

[Orsino]

19. Really? You don't think it possible...

...for the lege to pass a law referring only to marriage? You don't think it possible for an employer somewhere to use this as an excuse to exclude civil unions from something or other, and for the case to get appealed up to the NH Supreme Court?

A law saying that civil unions are equivalent to marriage is still making a distinction, and one hazy enough that some chucklehead will exploit it. Separate ain't equal, even though NH seems to have tried to make it as nearly so as possible, while still preserving the separation.

[qwlauren35]

20. Even though i see where you're coming from...

Until the federal government recognizes all legal unions within in any given state, I think it makes sense to distinguish between a union with federal recognition, and one that is without it.

Calling all legal unions "marriages" is what I call a "nice gesture" and a "symbolic coup". But I'm not sure that it makes any difference on a federal level.

Let's say that 10 states in the US granted marriages to all couples who applied (except children, siblings or parent-offspring). If 40 other states fight to ensure that the federal government won't recognize same sex couples as married, what's in a name?

Is the issue about symbolism of a word? Or legal rights? And if it's both, which is more important? Because gay folks have been "getting married" for years.

[Orsino]

21. What's most important will vary from person to person...

...and perhaps even from day to day. Just as the pinheads are finally beginning to see that marriage is bigger than Ward and June, marriage activists are finding that not everyone wants the same thing from a gay marriage. The word "marriage" has both the symbolism and the legal rights, and civil unions so far have neither. NH has made nearly the best of it almost-but-not-quite legalizing same-sex marriage, but as we've noted, federal law overrides it beyond state borders.

[LostinVA]

24. There's no "wriggle room" in NJ state law either

That hasn't stopped companies from refusing benefits because it's not "marriage," even though they're in violation of state law.

It needs to be called marriage.

[JoFerret]

22. Hope they remember NOT to vote for Obama

He is not in favor.
(Worth remembering that he is NOT a progressive candidate.)

[ohio2007]

23. Well, aren't they the fortunate ones

You think they would be willing to make it a big issue with events going on in NH.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlxUg6ihXYo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kByRUQgFgUE


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8MmCwkU5Zk&feature=related

nothing worth mentioning to the canidates....move along....