(I wanted to write a diary on today’s shocker in the NH House, but Mike Abadi covered it well. The folks in New Hampshire aren’t giving up. Let’s do what we can to help them! Plus… Euan’s interviewed!!! – promoted by Christian Avard)
When Euan Bear and I sat down to discuss marriage equality, she was in town to celebrate Vermont’s historic legislative veto override. The day before the interview, the NH Senate had passed marriage equality, and the day we sat down, Maine’s Senate followed suit. Can you say “momentum”? Since then, marriage equality has become the law in Maine.
Here Euan shares GLAD’s efforts to challenge the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), “coming out” on bureaucratic forms, Iowa, Jim Douglas, economic and conservative arguments for marriage equality. This clip ends with her discussing a church’s willingness to perform a marriage as paramount, anticipating some of the political maneuvering that has gone on across the river.
In NH, Governor John Lynch said he would sign marriage equality if the bill included language that would protect churches that disagree with gay marriage. The NH Senate passed the amended version, and today the House came oh-so-close
The Senate passed the changes 14-10 Wednesday, but the House failed to agree later in the day by a vote of 188-186. Opponents tried to kill the bill, but failed. The House then voted 207-168 to ask the Senate to negotiate a compromise.
So the bill is not dead, and it looks like the House and Senate can iron out any differences, if the House vote on negotiating a compromise is any indication. My superstitious side says “don’t jinx it” but
progress+freedom+justice+equality+momentum=inevitability!
UPDATE: uh-oh here’s a just-posted Reuters piece:
The House vote against the governor’s amendment means the bill will be sent to a committee that will try to resolve the differences between the two chambers. It remains unclear how the governor would respond to any changes to his wording.
Lynch has said he would veto gay marriage if his wording is not adopted.
State Representative Steve Vaillancourt, a gay Republican from Manchester, was a leading voice against the amendment securing religious liberties, saying that the House should not be “bullied” by the governor.
Vaillancourt said an earlier bill that did not provide protections to clerics or religious groups was the one that should have been passed, adding that the amended bill would allow discrimination to be written into state law.
Hang on to your hats!
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a religious organization,
association, or society, or any individual who is managed, directed,
or supervised by or in conjunction with a religious organization,
association, or society, or any nonprofit institution or organization
operated, supervised, or controlled by or in conjunction with a
religious organization, association, or society, shall not be required
to provide services, accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods, or
privileges to an individual if such request for such services,
accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods, or privileges is
related to the solemnization of a marriage, the celebration of a
marriage, or the promotion of marriage through religious counseling,
programs, courses, retreats, or housing designated for married
individuals, and such solemnization, celebration, or promotion of
marriage is in violation of his or her religious beliefs and faith.
Any refusal to provide services, accommodations, advantages,
facilities, goods, or privileges in accordance with this section shall
not create any civil claim or cause of action or result in any state
action to penalize or withhold benefits from such religious
organization, association, or society, or any individual who is
managed, directed, or supervised by or in conjunction with a religious
organization, association, or society, or any nonprofit institution or
organization operated, supervised, or controlled by or in conjunction
with a religious organization, association, or society.
The clip above should be prefaced by disclaimers: I am not a lawyer and not a representative of any organization working for marriage equality, simply an interested activist relaying information that was current when the interview took place.
That said, it was fun, and Mike is a good interviewer.
Over at Blue Hampshire I’ve been raising the question about hospitals that are church-owned, and whether the language quoted by jjem is overbroad and could be cited to allow such hospitals to abrogate visitation and medical decision-making rights when a spouse in a same-sex marriage ends up there (likely in an emergency).
Rep. Jim Splaine, one of the sponsors of the NH bill now in limbo awaiting the tie-in bill, and others have said that a close reading of the language suggests that the law cannot be used for that purpose. But here in the real world, we know that it just takes one or two administrators and/or social workers/nurses/doctors to make an already stressful time total hell for a same-sex couple, not to mention what might happen when kids are involved.
I was born and raised in NH, decided 32 years ago, like Christian, to come across the river. Vermonter by choice. Haven’t regretted the choice.
NanuqFC
Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. ~ Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
is loaded with potential for abuse.
But marriage equality is not the law in Maine. Yes, the legislature passed marriage equality, and Gov. Baldacci signed the bill. Contrary to national reporting, the law wouldn’t go into effect until June 17.
“Wouldn’t,” because it won’t – at least not just yet. Opponents of the law have taken the initial legal steps to file a petition requesting a referendum to reverse the law, which includes a statutory stay on the implementation of the law during a further period of 90 days (I’m pretty sure) during which petitioners can collect signatures. Under Maine law, they need to collect just over 55,000 signatures.
If the secretary of state determines that the requisite number of legal signatures have been collected on the petition, he’ll place a stay on the effective date of the law until after the voters decide.
http://www.bangordailynews.com…
http://greenmountaindaily.com/… (updated)