New Hampshire Joins List of Gay Marriage States

And then there were six: New Hampshire has joined the five other states - principally in the Northeast - that have given same sex couples full civil marriage rights. Obviously, I believe that the New Hampshire legislature did the right thing in enacting the bill and at last granting full equality under the civil laws. True, there will wailing and the gnashing of teeth from the religious fascists of the Christian Right, but again their real agenda has nothing to do with "protecting marriage." Instead, it is all about keeping LGBT citizens stigmatized as less than equal citizens. As modified, the New Hampshire legislation protects religious denominations from having to perform or recognize same sex couples/marriage. Anyone who claims otherwise - and the Christianists surely will do so - is a liar. Here are some highlights from the New York Times:

*

New Hampshire became the sixth state to legalize gay marriage after the Senate and House passed key language on religious rights and Gov. John Lynch -- who personally opposes gay marriage -- signed the legislation Wednesday afternoon. After rallies outside the Statehouse by both sides in the morning, the last of three bills in the package went to the Senate, which approved it 14-10 Wednesday afternoon.

*

The New Hampshire law will take effect Jan. 1, exactly two years after the state began recognizing civil unions. The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, elected in New Hampshire in 2003 as the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, was among those celebrating the new law. ''It's about being recognized as whole people and whole citizens,'' Robinson said. ''There are a lot of people standing here who when we grew up could not have imagined this,'' he said. ''You can't imagine something that is simply impossible. It's happened, in our lifetimes.''

*

The revised bill added a sentence specifying that all religious organizations, associations or societies have exclusive control over their religious doctrines, policies, teachings and beliefs on marriage. It also clarified that church-related organizations that serve charitable or educational purposes are exempt from having to provide insurance and other benefits to same-sex spouses of employees.

*

The law will establish civil and religious marriage licenses and allow each party to the marriage to be identified as bride, groom or spouse. Same-sex couples already in civil unions will automatically be assumed to have a ''civil marriage.'' Churches will be able to decide whether to conduct religious marriages for same-sex couples. Civil marriages would be available to both heterosexual and same-sex couples. New Hampshire's decision leaves Rhode Island as the only New England state not to allow same-sex marriages.

*

With Virginia being among the least progressive of states, I guess at some point the boyfriend and I will need to make a trip to New England to get married.