2214
(1 vote, average 5.00 out of 5)
Written by Lisa Neff, Staff writer
Jan 27, 2011
Graphic: Jim Lautenbach
Gay activists in the Granite State aren’t letting down their steely guard, though pundits and press reported that a National Organization for Marriage campaign to repeal a marriage equality law had already self-destructed before the 2011 legislative session heated up.
Activists with the New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Coalition remain at the ready because in political New Hampshire, a state that’s buzzing about the 2012 GOP presidential primary, anything can happen.
The year opened with activists concerned that NOM, a growing and influential anti-gay group, had the clout and cash to advance a repeal bill, but possibly not the votes needed to overcome a certain veto from the governor.
Then, in mid-January, the Republican leadership unveiled its agenda, which did not include repeal but instead focused on economic and budget matters in 2011.
NOM attacked, sending out a mailer to voters questioning House Republican Leader D.J. Bettencourt’s commitment to traditional family values.
The attack apparently backfired. Bettencourt announced that he wanted the repeal bill locked up in a judiciary committee until 2012. In a letter to House Speaker William O’Brien, Bettencourt referred to NOM’s tactics as “an assault on our agenda.”
NOM, however, remains committed to moving a repeal bill this year, and the measure’s sponsor, Republican David Bates, has said a vote would be better in 2011 than 2012.
“This is a clear effort by a small but well-funded extremist group to bully the GOP house majority leader. As any responsible leader would, Bettencourt is focused on creating jobs and economic recovery, the main reason why voters put Republicans in charge in New Hampshire,” NHFTM director Mo Baxley said.
She added, “Lawmakers should be aware of the reams of evidence showing how out of the mainstream NOM and Cornerstone Action really are.”
“Maggie Gallagher and NOM will fight tooth and nail to keep our community as second-class citizens,” said Joe Solmonese of the Human Rights Campaign, emphasizing HRC’s commitment to the NOM Exposed project this year.
“We’re also working with New Hampshire Freedom to Marry to fend off attacks from NOM and their cohorts who want to put an end to marriage equality there,” he said.
A campaign to repeal marriage equality also is under way in Iowa, another significant state in the 2012 presidential election cycle. An Iowa House subcommittee heard testimony Jan. 24 on a constitutional amendment that would repeal same-sex marriage as well as ban recognition of civil unions and domestic partnerships.
The measure is co-sponsored by 56 of the 60 Republicans in the House, but Senate President Mike Gronstal, a Democrat, vowed the bill will go nowhere in the Senate.
Moving west, a bill to ban recognition of same-sex marriages already this year has earned the two votes needed to clear the Wyoming House of Representatives. Wyoming law defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman, but conservative lawmakers said the statute did not go far enough and specifically ban recognition of out-of-state same-sex marriages.
The House bill goes to the Wyoming Senate, where lawmakers also are considering separate legislation to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage.
In New Mexico, another measure to amend the state constitution to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman is pending. A similar resolution was introduced and defeated last session, but the 2010 midterm election resulted in a “more conservative makeup of both our state legislature and governor’s office,” said Equality New Mexico president Todd McElroy.
Activists in North Carolina, Indiana and Pennsylvania may also have to fend off proposed amendments to ban marriage for gays and lesbians.
Positively charged
Meanwhile, campaigns to advance marriage equality have taken off in Maryland, Rhode Island and especially in New York, where state Sen. Thomas Duane, a Democrat from Manhattan, has said he’ll again introduce a marriage equality bill in Albany. He wants a vote by June.
Newly elected Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for passage of such a bill in his state-of-the-state message earlier in January.
“Fairness demands that marriage equality become a reality now,” Cuomo said, speaking Jan. 20 in Poughkeepsie. “New York has been surpassed by many other countries which have legalized marriage for same-sex couples, including Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, South Africa, Norway, Sweden and Portugal; as well as by many states, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and New Hampshire.”
He continued, “Marriage equality is a question of principle and the state should not discriminate against same- sex couples who wish to get married.”
Meanwhile, in the Aloha State, where a 2010 push to enact civil unions legislation failed with a governor’s veto of the bill, a new campaign is underway. On Jan. 25, the Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee heard testimony on a civil unions bill – SB232.
Gay rights advocates are optimistic that with a newly elected progressive governor, Neil Abercrombie, civil unions will become law in Hawaii in 2011.
Delaware lawmakers also will launch a drive for civil unions this year, while civil unions legislation passed at the end of 2010 will take effect in Illinois this summer.
To follow LGBT-related activity in the states, connect with the Equality Federation, a coalition of statewide LGBT groups, at www.equalityfederation.org.
