New Hampshire on its Way to Being Number Six

by Michael Jones · 2009-05-15 04:33:00 UTC
Topics:

New Hampshire

New Hampshire Governor John Lynch ended days of speculation yesterday by saying that if the NH legislature makes some changes to the marriage equality bill that passed both the State House and State Senate, he will sign the bill into law, making New Hampshire the sixth state to recognize same-sex marriage in the United States, and the fourth state to do so in the past eight weeks.

Gov. Lynch's changes have to do with the role of religious groups, and making sure provisions are added into the bill that do not force religious institutions to recognize or perform same-sex unions.  Here's the word from GayCityNews:

Lynch's proposal would broadly allow religious groups to deny any services or accommodations, both to marriage ceremonies and any related celebrations. So, for example, if a church makes a practice of renting out a hall it owns for non-religious purposes to the general public, it could still deny access to that facility for a wedding reception of a same-sex couple. His language is prefaced with the words, "notwithstanding any other provision of law," though it is not clear how this potential carve-out from standard public accommodations law, which generally requires availability on an equal basis, would hold up in court. Politically, however, it seems to have allowed the governor and marriage equality advocates to find common ground.

Lynch's changes, for the most part, should be easy for the State Legislature to make, and they've already pledged to do so.  Which means that as early as next week, New Hampshire may be on the books as recognizing marriage equality.

It's going to be very lonely for Rhode Island if that happens.  The Ocean State will become the only New England locale where gay and lesbian couples continue to face marriage discrimination.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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