Marriage licenses now available in NH for gay and lesbian couples
Posted on Oct 08, 2009 at 10:43 am
Boston Herald
October 8, 2009
Gay couples can now apply for marriage licenses in New Hampshire — though the unions can’t be performed until Jan. 1 when the state’s law legalizing the unions takes effect. (Link)
October 8, 2009
Gay couples can now apply for marriage licenses in New Hampshire — though the unions can’t be performed until Jan. 1 when the state’s law legalizing the unions takes effect. (Link)
NOM Arrives In D.C. To Try and Keep Discriminatory DOMA
Posted on Jul 17, 2009 at 09:17 am
On Top Magazine
July 16, 2009
The nation's most vocal opponent of marriage equality has opened an office in the nation's Capitol to fight for the discriminatory so called Defense of Marriage Act or "DOMA." The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) has been vociferous in its opposition to the freedom to marry victories this spring in Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. The group says it will use its D.C. office to “stop any attempt to repeal” the anti-gay "DOMA" law which blocks marriages of gay couples from being recognized at the federal level. [Link]
Senator Leahy Supports DOMA Repeal
Posted on Jul 17, 2009 at 08:15 am
HRC Back Story
July 16, 2009
Senator Patrick Leahy, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, supports the federal government honoring marriages between same-sex couples. Sen. Leahy: “Well I think now that you have states that are voting for and having marriage equality – Vermont has, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, others, Connecticut – the Defense of Marriage Act is unnecessary, should be repealed.” [Link]
July 16, 2009
Senator Patrick Leahy, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, supports the federal government honoring marriages between same-sex couples. Sen. Leahy: “Well I think now that you have states that are voting for and having marriage equality – Vermont has, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, others, Connecticut – the Defense of Marriage Act is unnecessary, should be repealed.” [Link]
Respect carries rewards not measured in dollars
Posted on Jul 06, 2009 at 09:23 am
Business Insurance
July 6, 2009
A recent report by the Williams Institute concludes that the legalization of freedom to marry could hand New England states an economic advantage. The underlying research follows an idea that many employers embraced more than a decade ago: Equality attracts well-educated, creative professionals whose abilities drive company growth. In a world where competition is everything, local economies, like employers, need every advantage they can muster. But equality isn't just a business argument. Treating people with respect, no matter their differences, makes us all better human beings. [Link]
July 6, 2009
A recent report by the Williams Institute concludes that the legalization of freedom to marry could hand New England states an economic advantage. The underlying research follows an idea that many employers embraced more than a decade ago: Equality attracts well-educated, creative professionals whose abilities drive company growth. In a world where competition is everything, local economies, like employers, need every advantage they can muster. But equality isn't just a business argument. Treating people with respect, no matter their differences, makes us all better human beings. [Link]
No Floor Vote for Freedom to Marry in Rhode Island
Posted on Jun 29, 2009 at 08:01 pm
The Associated Press
June 28, 2009
Rhode Island seems almost certain to remain the only New England state that does not recognize gay marriage after measures legalizing same-sex unions stalled just before the part-time General Assembly ended the bulk of its annual work. This despite a poll released by Brown University last month which showed 60 percent of registered Rhode Island voters would support a law allowing gay couples to marry, and 75 would support a law allowing civil unions. [Link]
June 28, 2009
Rhode Island seems almost certain to remain the only New England state that does not recognize gay marriage after measures legalizing same-sex unions stalled just before the part-time General Assembly ended the bulk of its annual work. This despite a poll released by Brown University last month which showed 60 percent of registered Rhode Island voters would support a law allowing gay couples to marry, and 75 would support a law allowing civil unions. [Link]
It is time for us to make marriage equality in Rhode Island a reality
Posted on Jun 25, 2009 at 06:31 pm
Bay Windows
June 17, 2009
Earlier this month, the New Hampshire legislature took another step in our country’s ongoing struggle to ensure full equality for gays and lesbians by voting to permit same-sex couples in their state to legally enter into civil marriages. The vote makes New Hampshire the sixth state in the country - along with Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and Maine - to provide equal marriage rights to all its residents, and it now leaves Rhode Island as the only New England state that does not permit the freedom to marry. To me, the issue of marriage equality boils down to a question of basic fairness. [Link]
June 17, 2009
Earlier this month, the New Hampshire legislature took another step in our country’s ongoing struggle to ensure full equality for gays and lesbians by voting to permit same-sex couples in their state to legally enter into civil marriages. The vote makes New Hampshire the sixth state in the country - along with Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and Maine - to provide equal marriage rights to all its residents, and it now leaves Rhode Island as the only New England state that does not permit the freedom to marry. To me, the issue of marriage equality boils down to a question of basic fairness. [Link]
In Rhode Island, some wary as tide of marriage equality rises at border
Posted on Jun 15, 2009 at 10:40 am
The Boston Globe
June 15, 2009
Massachusetts and Connecticut legalized the freedom to marry as a result of judicial decisions in 2003 and 2008, while Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire followed this spring by legislative action. The slower pace in Rhode Island, where the state Senate voted last week to allow same-sex partners to make funeral arrangements, has frustrated some local activists, many of whom rallied outside the State House in Providence last weekend to call for immediate equality. "They still have a chance to be part of the vanguard," said attorney Karen L. Loewy, the Rhode Island point person for GLAD, which won the lawsuits in Massachusetts and Connecticut that legalized marriage equality in those states. "Rhode Island is well on its way." [Link]
June 15, 2009
Massachusetts and Connecticut legalized the freedom to marry as a result of judicial decisions in 2003 and 2008, while Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire followed this spring by legislative action. The slower pace in Rhode Island, where the state Senate voted last week to allow same-sex partners to make funeral arrangements, has frustrated some local activists, many of whom rallied outside the State House in Providence last weekend to call for immediate equality. "They still have a chance to be part of the vanguard," said attorney Karen L. Loewy, the Rhode Island point person for GLAD, which won the lawsuits in Massachusetts and Connecticut that legalized marriage equality in those states. "Rhode Island is well on its way." [Link]
Commentary: Obama absent on marriage equality
Posted on Jun 10, 2009 at 02:51 pm
CNN International
June 10, 2009
William Jelani Cobb is associate professor of history at Spelman College and author of the forthcoming "Change Has Come: Barack Obama and the Meaning of Progress."
Last week Gov. John Lynch signed a bill making New Hampshire the sixth state to legalize marriage equality. It was a paradoxical moment. The new law is a reminder that freedom to marry is the civil rights issue of our era and just how far the movement for marriage equality has come. It also highlighted the unexpected and remarkable silence from the White House on this issue. [Link]
June 10, 2009
William Jelani Cobb is associate professor of history at Spelman College and author of the forthcoming "Change Has Come: Barack Obama and the Meaning of Progress."
Last week Gov. John Lynch signed a bill making New Hampshire the sixth state to legalize marriage equality. It was a paradoxical moment. The new law is a reminder that freedom to marry is the civil rights issue of our era and just how far the movement for marriage equality has come. It also highlighted the unexpected and remarkable silence from the White House on this issue. [Link]
Religious Liberty and Marriage Equality: A Winning Strategy
Posted on Jun 10, 2009 at 12:04 pm
The Washington Post
June 10, 2009
On Faith columnist Susan Brooks discusses the role of religious exemptions in the approval of marriage equality in New Hampshire: "Religious liberty is the key to civil equality and religious pluralism co-existing peacefully together in our very diverse country. Say it as loud and as often as you can...'liberty and justice for all.'" [Link]
June 10, 2009
On Faith columnist Susan Brooks discusses the role of religious exemptions in the approval of marriage equality in New Hampshire: "Religious liberty is the key to civil equality and religious pluralism co-existing peacefully together in our very diverse country. Say it as loud and as often as you can...'liberty and justice for all.'" [Link]
Gay bishop rejoices in NH’s marriage equality vote
Posted on Jun 05, 2009 at 11:35 am
The Associated Press
June 4, 2009
Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson sat in the front row of the gallery in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, hands clasped at times, praying for lawmakers to push a little green button that indicates a "yes" vote. In the end, there were 198 green lights to legalize gay marriage, and 176 red ones. "There are a lot of people standing here who, when we grew up, could not have imagined this," Robinson said. "You can't imagine something that is simply impossible. It's happened, in our lifetimes."[Link]
June 4, 2009
Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson sat in the front row of the gallery in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, hands clasped at times, praying for lawmakers to push a little green button that indicates a "yes" vote. In the end, there were 198 green lights to legalize gay marriage, and 176 red ones. "There are a lot of people standing here who, when we grew up, could not have imagined this," Robinson said. "You can't imagine something that is simply impossible. It's happened, in our lifetimes."[Link]