Concord – Gay marriage legislation became law in New Hampshire this afternoon.
Gov. John Lynch signed the bills just after 5:20 p.m. before dozens of enthusiastic supporters of same-sex marriage.
New Hampshire's law takes effect Jan. 1.
If you'll recall from earlier, the bill narrowly passed both houses of the state legislature, and Gov. Lynch was known to be iffy about signing it. As it happened, Lynch asked for changes (additional religious "protections") which caused some irritation among some Democrats in the legislature; Lynch said he wouldn't sign the bill without those changes, and well, looks like some sausage got made since I last looked in on the Granite State.
Okay, maybe that wasn't the most best metaphor for a story like this. But we're not squeamish, right? Follow the link up top for links to the full text of the legislation and the additional bills passed to get everyone on board.
A good day. Okay, Rhode Island, my former stomping grounds, now I'm lookin' at youse! Not to mention my current home state -- you gonna let every single New England state whup you, New Yawk? Huh? Huh?
(h/t: Steve Benen)
And here's a nice bit from the NYT's report:
Mr. Lynch, who previously supported civil unions but not marriage for gay couples, said in a statement that he had heard “compelling arguments that a separate system is not an equal system.”
“Today,” he said, “we are standing up for the liberties of same-sex couples by making clear that they will receive the same rights, responsibilities — and respect — under New Hampshire law.”
A post on the Boston Globe's site adds:
Lynch said it was a New Hampshire tradition "to come down on the side of individual liberties and protections, and that tradition continues today."
For those keeping score at home, Andrew Sullivan reminds us:
This is the sixth state to achieve equality for all its citizens in its marriage laws, and the third to achieve it legislatively. The canard of judicial activism is collapsing.
And here's a great picture, swiped from the LAist (their caption, too). Click it to big it:
The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, the U.S. Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop, right, shakes hands with Mo Baxley in the gallery of Representatives Hall in the State house after lawmakers voted in favor of gay marriage in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
(Baxley is a former New Hampshire State Representative and is currently the Executive Director of the New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Coalition.)
Tears of joy, i'n't it?
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