NH House rejects 2 anti-gay marriage measures

[Newsjock]

Source: Associated Press

New Hampshire's House has rejected a bill that would have repealed the state's 6-week-old gay marriage law.

The House voted 210-109 to kill the bill -- almost the same margin it defeated a proposed constitutional amendment about an hour earlier that would have defined marriage as between one man and one woman.

Supporters needed 60 percent of the House to place the amendment on the November ballot. Gay marriage opponents vowed voters will have their say in the fall election by changing the Statehouse back to Republican control. Supporters said they would not be politically blackmailed.

Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2010/02/17/nh_house_voting_on_gay_marriage_repeal_measures/

[MindandSoul]

1. I hope they manage to keep gay rights alive! A good reason to vote Democrat!

[Imajika]

2. It is pretty sad that we have to keep the issue...

...away from the voters.

I'd bet if this issue gets on the ballot anytime soon the voters of NH would repeal marriage rights.

That won't be a concern a decade or so from now though, attitudes are really changing on this. Marriage rights are inevitable.

[Alexander]

4. I'd like to see a state vote for gay marriage, just once.

As terrible as it is to put the rights of gay people up for a vote, it does happen.

And if it's going to happen, I'd like to see a state vote to uphold the rights of gay and lesbian couples to marry, as a big middle finger to the homophobes in this country.

[Imajika]

6. Oh, that is coming soon...

Attitudes are shifting on this fairly rapidly now. I know it probably doesn't feel like it to many people waiting for marriage equality, but they really are. Heck, even many young Republicans are increasingly for marriage equality. A whole generation of younger voters are growing up and they just don't think the same way as the older folks. I guess it is just like any other necessary societal change, it takes some time for minds to change but progress marches on and the end result is inevitable.

We are within a decade, or sooner, of voters approving marriage equality in many states. Eventually marriage equality will be the norm in every state.

[WillParkinson]

3. Awesome news! Thank you for sharing.

When I heard about this yesterday I was very worried.

[Tesha]

5. There was no question that things were safe this year.

Next year?

Who knows. It is, in fact, quite likely that the Republicans will
regain control of the NH House and Senate, thanks in large part
to the bang-up job that our national party is doing down in DC.
And if that happens, then Equal Marriage in NH may well die.

Tesha

[pleah]

7. K AND R!

[ShockediSay]

8. As they said on their license plates

Live free or die.

Libertarian style GOPs, I'd bet.

And don't expect too many NH churches
{predominantly Christian, if not Catholic}
to rush into the gay wedding business.

[AB_Positive]

10. I wish the GOP here were Libertarian, they wouldn't be half bad

no, Repubs in the state I call home are quite shotgun-and-pickup truck deer huntin' beer drinkin' (or as we say at the store I work at part time... 'Burr drinkin') Irish Catholic types. Don't know much about politics, don't want to know, think Obama's a Kenyan Socialist and one told me, in all seriousness:

"We're going to see the Blacks rise up and overtake the white man, enslaving us."

I laughed in his face.

If we had Libertarians, we could at least all agree that W was one of the worst Presidents we've had. Sure, we'd hate him for different reasons, but there'd be some sort of common ground.

We have a strong liberal group, but our numbers are small. Still, any reversal bill would have to go through the governor, and Lynch isn't going anywhere.

[Vidar]

9. 2 to 1 isn't a bad margin. Kudos to New Hampshire!