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The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, the U.S. Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop, right, shakes hands with Mo Baxley in the gallery of Representatives Hall in the State house after lawmakers voted in favor of gay marriage in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
Is New England the new California? New Hampshire became the sixth state, the fifth in New England, to legalize gay marriage today. After months of back and forth revisions, the legislature approved it this morning following by Governor John Lynch approval this afternoon when he signed it into law.
Other states that have already legalized gay marriage include Maine, Massachusetts, Iowa, Connecticut and Vermont.
After gay marriage was struck down by Prop 8 (and last week upheld by the state's Supreme Court), a draft proposition is already in the works to undue the prop on a future election ballot and a federal Supreme Court challenge is being talked about. Next door, Nevada legalized domestic partnerships on Sunday night, a big step for that state.
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YES. More of this.
By the way, normally I get really anoyed with New Hampshire, given it's outsized influence during primary season. Now I find myself wishing national policies were decided the same way presidential candidates were.
OOH OOH OOH! I bet 10 dollars we get our first "This sorts of law tramplez all over mah Fayeth!" or "MAH RITES IZ BEIN OPPRESST BUY TEH GHEYZ!" before 7 PM.
(NOTE: LOLbigots: The new Lolcats.)
so other than iowa, we're looking at the original thirteen colonies being the first. seems right to me.
Maine and Vermont were not among the original 13 colonies. Vermont was the 14th state, and Maine the 23rd.
Still, New England is the birthplace of the American Revolution, and its role in advancing equal rights should not be overlooked.
Maine was a part of Massachusettes, Vermont's territory was disputed between NY and NH. So, teeeeechnically both were part of the original 13. But yes. They are, however, indisputably part of New England.
More history geekery:
Maine has a particularly important role in the civil rights movement. It was made a state as part of the Missouri Compromise, to create a new free-state to balance out the new slave-state of Missouri.
So, Maine has a long tradition of guarnateeing the civil rights of its citizens. And the rest of the nation has a long tradition of denying those same rights.
Bill is pending in Rhode Island, which would complete new england. NY will surely follow and NJ already recognizes civil unions, which hopefully will soon be changed to marriages as well. Maryland and Deleware are outliers but I'm sure they'll be nudged along soon enough since they're largely upper eastern, practically new england in character these days.
However, Georgia, the Carolinas aren't bloody likely to join the 21st century without being dragged, and I don't even want to guess Virginia.
Same with Pennsylvania. Rural PA is SCARY.
Sooner than you think, I bet.
I mean, the dragging.
I optimistically predict a federal mandate within 6 years.
Obama is really dragging his heels on this issue. I think he is going to continue dragging his heels until he is safely elected to his second term. Once that happens I think we will see things start happening rather quickly. We will see!