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- N.H. governor signs civil unions
- Same-sex couples call N.J. civil union law unfair
- Navy Linguist Jason Knight joins SLDN in campaign to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’
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national
N.H. governor signs civil unions
The group Conserve N.H. vows to push for repeal
Published Thursday, 07-Jun-2007 in issue 1015
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – They packed the room with cameras in hand to record the moment. And when Gov. John Lynch put down his pen, they broke into applause. Lynch’s signature last week completed a long-awaited step toward equality for New Hampshire’s same-sex couples: civil unions.
“Sometimes you’ve just got to live long enough. I never thought I’d see the day,” said Dawn Touzin, a board member of the New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Coalition, as she wiped away tears.
“It’s just been such a struggle. It shouldn’t be this hard just to want to be in a relationship. This is a huge step and I’m just so proud of New Hampshire today,” she said.
New Hampshire will be the fourth state to offer civil unions, and the first to do so without a court order or threat of one. Lynch called it a matter of conscience.
“How could any one of us look into the eyes of our neighbors, our friends or our loved ones if we continued to deny them these basic legal protections?” he said. “I’ve listened and I’ve heard all the arguments. I do not believe that this bill threatens marriage. I believe that this is a matter of conscience and fairness.”
Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson was in the crowd. Although his consecration in 2003 as the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church divided the worldwide Anglican Communion, Robinson and his longtime partner plan to enter a civil union.
“This is not a radical departure,” he said of the bill. “This is a real confirmation of what New Hampshire has always been about: the freedom of its own citizens and fairness for everyone.”
Robinson said he will not direct Episcopal priests in the state to bless same-sex unions, letting priests decide that individually. Such blessings have been another divisive issue for Episcopalians and Anglicans.
“That authority belongs to them and I would not in any way ask them not to do that. … Just like in marriages, every priest will have the option to bless or not to bless,” Robinson said.
Lynch’s staff arranged the signing swiftly, waiting until after 8 a.m. to announce the 9:45 a.m. ceremony. It drew a supportive crowd of Democratic lawmakers already in the Statehouse for sessions; any opponents in the room did not make themselves known.
The group Conserve N.H. later criticized the quick scheduling and vowed to push for repeal.
“We, along with the majority of our fellow citizens, are disappointed that Governor Lynch has agreed to rewrite New Hampshire’s marriage laws with this unpublicized signing of the civil unions bill,” said Paul Nagy, the group’s chair. “Every New Hampshire voter will be made aware of this unpopular payoff to liberal special interests.”
Connecticut, Vermont, California, New Jersey, Maine and Washington also have laws allowing either civil unions or domestic partnerships, and Oregon will join the list in January. Connecticut adopted civil unions without a court order two years ago, though a lawsuit was pending.
Hawaii extends certain spousal rights to same-sex couples and cohabiting heterosexual pairs. Only Massachusetts allows same-sex couples to marry.
Couples entering civil unions will have the same rights, responsibilities and obligations as married couples. Same-sex unions from other states will be recognized if they are legal in the state where they were performed.
The bill’s success was a turnabout from two years ago, when a study panel recommended against any meaningful consideration of marriage and civil unions and endorsed a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Two years in a row lawmakers defeated bills for such a ban.
Democrats won control of the Legislature last fall for the first time in more than a century, dramatically changing the equation. Civil unions passed both Houses last month largely along party lines, and Lynch, a Democrat, promised to sign it.
The speedy progress surprised even staunch supporters.
“In the fall, when the bill came through, I thought, we’ll start to, you know, make some headway,” said state Rep. Bette Lasky of Nashua, who shepherded civil unions through the House. “I really didn’t think we’d be here. I can’t believe it. This to me is not routine. I do believe we made history.”
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