New Hampshire's Gay Marriage Law Takes Effect


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January 1, 2010 10:45 a.m. EST

Topics: Politics, United States
Kris Alingod - AHN Contributor

Concord, New Hampshire, United States (AHN) - Gay advocates in the Granite State ushered in the new year with weddings at the state Capitol on Friday, when New Hampshire's same-sex marriage law took effect.

The Freedom to Marry Coalition and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation led celebrations in Concord on New Year's Eve, counting down the minutes until the state performed its first gay marriages just after midnight.

New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch signed a same-sex marriage bill into law early June despite his opposition to gay marriages and only after state lawmakers had complied with his requirement to include provisions in the legislation protecting religious institutions. The state Senate had voted 14-10 and the state House 198-176 to pass the measure.

Lawmakers had negotiated to include an amendment exempting religious institutions from participating in marriage-related activities that are against their beliefs.

Several times the bill was in danger of being completely rejected. Conservatives including the National Organization for Marriage had also pushed hard for the Legislature not to "deny New Hampshire voters the right to decide th[e] question themselves."

Marriage between gay couples is legal in five states so far. Massachusetts and Connecticut were the first ones to pass legislation, while Iowa, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire all enacted similar measures this year. Maine, however, overturned its law in a November referendum.

The District of Columbia earlier this month passed its own bill, which takes effect after a required 30-day review by Congress.

National gay advocacy groups such as the Human Rights Campaign and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force have also suffered setbacks. Apart from the repeal in the Pine Tree State, proponents in the New Jersey Senate in Decembeer put off a final vote on a same-sex measure because of the lack of votes to pass it.

Around the same time In New York, state senators voted to defeat a similar bill despite the full-throated support of Gov. David Paterson.


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