New Hampshire NO Repeal of Gay Marriage!
By JENNIFER LEVITZ WSJ
After months of emotional public debate, the New Hampshire House voted Wednesday against repealing the state's gay-marriage law, rejecting a bill backed by socially conservative Republicans who failed to muster the necessary support within their own party in the libertarian-leaning state.
"It's the 'Live Free or Die state,'" said a repeal opponent, Republican Rep. Phil Greazzo, referring to the state motto. "As long as you're not hurting yourself or others, you're supposed to be able to live your life." He added that New Hampshire has had gay marriage for two years and "it didn't affect my marriage."
Republican Mike Ball, of Manchester, who also opposed the repeal, urged his colleagues to "put this dog down."
After hours of arguments, the Republican-controlled House voted 211-116 to kill a bill that would have repealed the law passed in 2009 by the previous Democratic-controlled legislature. Had the bill passed the House and Senate, New Hampshire would have become the first legislature to repeal gay marriage.
Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, had promised to veto the measure if it passed, and some Republicans had voiced concern that voting for a repeal that was not popular with many New Hampshire citizens could hurt them in November.
Winning New Hampshire is another success for gay-rights activists. They are trying to paint a picture of a growing national consensus in favor of gay marriage, with polls suggesting a small majority in favor and a series of recent wins in states including New York, Washington and Maryland.
But opponents say it is only one setback in an ongoing fight. Gay marriage is expected to be a hot-button issue nationally throughout the elections, with several states, including North Carolina and Minnesota, aiming to vote this year on whether to enshrine in their constitutions a heterosexual definition of marriage.
In New Hampshire, socially conservative activists already are vowing to spend money to help lawmakers who support a repeal in the November election and predict that the issue will rise again next legislative session. "Believe me, neither side is going to quiet down here," said Ellen Kolb, legislative affairs director for Cornerstone Action, a conservative policy group in New Hampshire.
The repeal legislation, sponsored by Rep. David Bates, a Republican, wouldn't have affected the validity of the nearly 2,000 same-sex couples who have married in New Hampshire over the last two years but would have defined marriage in law as between a man and woman. It would have allowed gay couples to enter into civil unions, which were in place before 2009.
Addressing the House floor, Mr. Bates said he wasn't advocating "bigotry or discrimination, but simply a recognition of the unique and distinctness of what the essence of marriage truly is."
Same-sex couples can now marry in Washington D.C. and six states including New Hampshire.
Jennifer Levitz at jennifer.levitz@wsj.com
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