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N.H. Conservatives Energized by Maine


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Conservatives who want to mount a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in New Hampshire feel energized by the success of Question 1 in Maine, but the likelihood of getting such an amendment on the ballot appears slim, at least for now.

The New Hampshire legislature passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage that Gov. John Lynch signed in June, about one month after Maine approved gay couples’ right to marry. Now, conservatives in New Hampshire are looking to the approval of Question 1, which repealed the new law in Maine, as an example for their potential campaign.

"The conservative advocacy group Cornerstone Policy Research has taken notice of the successes traditional-marriage advocates have had across the country with ballot initiatives and is pushing for a constitutional amendment question,” according to the New Hampshire Union Leader.

However, significant differences in state political processes make any campaign to ban same-sex marriage in New Hampshire much less likely.

“Unlike Maine, where citizens can petition the state to put a question on the ballot, New Hampshire does not have a referendum vote,” reported the Union Leader. “The only way the gay-marriage issue could go before voters is if it were placed on the ballot as a constitutional amendment.”

Such a constitutional amendment would need to pass both houses of the legislature with a three-fifths majority before heading to voters for consideration. Democrats, who control both houses of the legislature, said any attempt to push a constitutional amendment would fail.

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Reader Comments
  • Name: scb
    Date posted: 11/5/2009 10:12:43 PM
    Hometown: winston salem

    Comment:

    I think people would be more tolerate if it isn’t called “marriage” for gay people. Word “Marriage” has been for a longggg timeeee is between man and woman. Why do we fight to get a word “marriage”. If we call it “civil union” or “holy union” or even “living partner” or “partner in life” whatever you call it as long as we can get the same benefits in The State and Federal level and same protections like the word “marriage”, I think people would care less and would support it. I do not know why we stuck in the word “marriage”. Even the bible say marriage is not for everyone. If I am straight, I would feel unease too if gay people call it marriage. That’s why there are words called male, female, straight and gay just to distinct one another. It would be easier on the paper work if the question is “what is your status?” single, married, divorce, civil union or slut..I thought gay people are more creative than straight people. I thought they would come out with words like va va boom or entrechoquer or fondre, attache, liaison instead of “marriage”.

  • Name: rea
    Date posted: 11/5/2009 12:16:27 PM
    Hometown: San Diego, CA

    Comment:

    wake up in New Hampshire! The democrats wont control both houses forever. The hate mongers will wait, growing like the cancer they are, until they can strike. The loss in Maine was pathetic. After the loss in CA on Prop 8, the hate mongers actually publicly announced that they now knew how to defeat pro-gay legislation in any state - they announced how they would do it. And our response to "know thy enemy" was to ignore the reality of how they fight - you don't overcome the school yard bully by bringing him cupcakes. So we lost again! With the money and talent available in the gay community, the best we could do was lose to a known enemy. Pathetic! I'm sure Iowa is in the cross hairs. As a gay friendly psychiatrist at my work asked me after expressing his anger/dissapointment at the Maine loss "where are your ACT-UP people? Why are you losing these battles!!??" How should our community answer his question?

  • Name: Michael
    Date posted: 11/5/2009 10:53:46 AM
    Hometown: Manchester, NH

    Comment:

    What we really need here in the US is an amendment to TAX ALL religious organizations who push political agendas of hatred and intolerance. Churches really need to be hit in the pocketbook to understand what separation of church and state means.

  • Name: newz4i
    Date posted: 11/5/2009 9:44:40 AM
    Hometown: Phoenix

    Comment:

    Gay New Hampshire-nites, grab your local Catholic/Mormon and inform them of the lies used by the Catholic Diocese used in Maine. It's up to "us" to stop the lies used in the name of an evil God/increase bank deposits.



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