House Approves Civil Unions

By Dan Gorenstein on Wednesday, April 4, 2007.

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Wednesday the House passed a bill allowing same sex couples to enter into civil unions.

Some say the vote embodies the state's Live Free or Die traditions.

Others believe it goes against the state's conservative identity.

New Hampshire Public Radio's Dan Gorenstein reports.

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A couple hundred people from around the state traveled to Concord to voice their opposition to the civil union bill.

House members had to pass by a few dozen who held signs and spoke to the press.

Don McGaurity from Tamworth wanted lawmakers to understand that he thinks the Legislation is too far out.

4:20 don't try to change the law to make your perversion normal. It's nota normal act. Just look at it. a man and a woman fit. Two men don't fit. It's different. We are different...we were sent here to bring up the society, not tear it down.

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Inside the House chamber, more opponents packed the gallery, barely leaving room to stand.

One woman brought five of her eight children to witness the historic vote.

The fear among many critics is that civil unions will expose children to homosexuality and damage them.

Democrat Ed Butler - an openly gay representative- told his colleagues and those in the gallery the difference between a gay person and straight one is superficial.

7:50 as you know many people have lost their livlihoods b/c of being gay or lesbian. We have been rejected by family, kicked out of housing, or marginalized in other ways. Many gays or lesbians have been beaten b/c of who they are, many have lost their lives. And yet we continue to work to become more a part of society, b/c we know simply that we are the same as you, our straight counterparts, and want the same rights and responsibilities in society. We want you to know that you have nothing to fear any more than we have to fear from you.

Over the course of the debate some critics said they flat out oppose civil unions.

But most lawmakers opposed took a different tact.

Members introduced several amendments aimed at expanding civil unions to include anyone gay or straight over age 18.

Republican Representative Robert Rowe argued that it's not fair to allow one class of people certain rights and deny others.

6:44 I feel that we are discriminating against two brothers, for example. Two same sex cousins, who want to have a civil union for the benefits of it....you may say, it's not the same thing. I say it is...b/c....there are other things such as brotherly love.

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:22 I have not received one email, one letter, one phone call from brothers seeking the same relationship. Have you?...if someone wants a bill to elevate these relationships to civil union status, let's introduce one.

That's Democratic Representative David Pierce.

The majority easily dispensed with the amendments.

And the House passed the bill on a 243-129 vote.

Opponents predict a political backlash.

Deputy Republican leader David Hess says the vote is a significant departure from New Hampshire values.

He says this is just the latest example of Democrats alienating voters.

T.20
4:26 they are getting the smokers pretty riled up with the smoking ban, and the smoking tax increase they are trying to do. They have an issue with the parental notification bill...seat belts is another thing....each one of these actions which has been outside the traditional NH approach develops a subset of the population which says enough is enough.

Democratic Representative Mo Baxley isn't concerned about any repercussions from this vote.

She points to a recent UNH survey that found 61% of people support same sex marriage- let alone civil unions.

Baxley, a lesbian, says the state has taken a step forward by passing civil unions.

But she says at the same time, she says she could not convince herself to vote for the bill because a civil union is not the same as marriage.

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1:08 I think it's segregation. I can not bring myself to segregate a minority, particularly a minority I am a member of.

Senate leadership expects the bill will pass.

The wild card is Governor Lynch, who has yet to take a position.

For NHPR News, I'm DG.