In Brief

Staff Reports

Rally Held In New Hampshire To Repeal Same Sex Marriage Law And Replace It With Civil Unions

New Hampshire State Representative David Bates

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- New Hampshire Republican State Representative David Bates led a rally of more than 200 people Tuesday outside the capitol building interested in repealing New Hampshire's same sex marriage law and replace it with civil unions for any unmarried adults, including relatives.

Bates' who is the chief sponsor of a measure to repeal the law told the crowd there is no truth more self-evident under the federal Constitution than men and women were created for each other. "Other arrangements are unnatural and incapable of sustaining the human species," he said.

The state's Republican-controlled Legislature has not scheduled a date for the measure to be voted on in this year's session, and Democratic Governor John Lynch has repeatedly warned lawmakers he will veto attempts to repeal the law, which he signed in 2009. Lynch had signed the civil unions law enacted in 2007 which was replaced that with the marriage law two years later.

The Associated Press via The Boston Globe reported:

Supporters said the proposed repeal bill would not apply to gay marriages that have already occurred, but would stop new ones. Since 2010, 1,866 New Hampshire gay couples have married, according to the state division of vital records. Repeal opponents say Bates' bill has conflicting provisions that appear to bar the courts from recognizing same sex relationships as valid, while declaring same sex marriages in effect before the repeal took effect to remain valid. Bates has said he is working on an amendment to clarify that and several other issues. Republican House Speaker William O'Brien called the gay marriage law an attack on the family that must be reversed. While O'Brien and other were speaking, Concord resident Marcia Blackman at the back of the crowd yelled: "Why do you hate me? Why do you hate my family?" O'Brien ignored the outburst and spoke louder into the microphone. "We must vote to back marriage for our children," he said.

The Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop, Bishop Gene Robinson who is a resident of the state observed; "I'm surprised at how small the crowd is." Robinson also indicated that he had not heard of any clergy suffering an ill effect because of the law or that any individuals suffered ill effects. Bishop Gene Robinson said New Hampshire polls show a majority oppose repealing the law adding, "We haven't seen the end of Western civilization as we know it."

GOP National Committeewoman Phyllis Woods said her party's platform includes a statement that marriage is between one man and one woman. 

"To define homosexual unions as marriage is contrary to what the founders of the Constitution believed was natural law," she said.

Bates' bill would not enact the same civil unions law that was in effect before gays were allowed to marry. That law granted gays all the rights and responsibilities of marriage except in name. The proposed civil unions law would be open to any two adults and would let anyone refuse to recognise the unions. It also would allow anyone to discriminate against the couples in employment, housing and public accommodations based on religious or moral beliefs.