Gay Marriage Gets its Day at the Statehouse

I'm looking forward to the discussion on gay marriage on Wednesday. I do not understand the agenda to push these bills forward, especially in these tough economic times.
As a mother of 3, I'm also concerned about the gay agenda in the schools if NH passes gay marriage. In the UK, parents face prosecution if they keep their kids home on the day where the gay agenda is taught. Not all children are ready for any talk on sex at the same age or at an early age. These things take away the rights of parents. http://www.realclearreligion.com/index_files/c3d9506a7908908ef257979689b...

This is now the face of the Democratic party. Anti-family and pro-gay agenda.

As a grandmother of 3 with 2 grown children, a Gay woman and a member of the Democratic party I have to say that there is No Agenda! I love my family, my partner of 15 years (recently married under the Granite State Civil Union) and bottom-line is that all any American asks for is Equal Rights under the Law. My grandchildren have grown up with my partner in their lives since birth just like many school children. If schools discuss famililes then ALL types of families need to be included, single parent homes, grandparents raising their grandchildren, gay parents, mixed race homes even now with so many children homeless living in Shelters the schools need to be all inclusive.
I have one question for the discussion as well, how will the new law effect those of us that Did get married under the Civil Union law?

The problem parents see is, the agenda taken into the schools. In Mass. now you have gay education starting in Kindergarten. Parents now have NO right to be informed or required to consent. Not all 6 year olds are ready to hear about homosexuality. It's an infringement upon our parental rights.
That's what the gay agenda is all about. Pushing it on our children without our consent. Now you have parents in the UK who might be prosecuted for keeping their kids home? This has gone too far.
Many of us do not wish to have govt. interfer in your personal lives. However when you wish to push your beliefs on the rest of us, I draw the line.
No thank you !

New Hampshire should reclaim its tradition of strongly fostering personal Liberty and not allowing religious opinion, which is just one opinion competing with other valid, secular, ethical opinions, to dominate a deliberation about human rights.

Opponents say allowing gay marriage will "cheapen" marriage. Aside from thinking they're insulting people who are gay, what do such people mean? Do gays "cheapen" shopping in stores when they show up, or "cheapen" voting, or "cheapen" serving in the military by their participation? Would you advocate segregating away gay people in general, or depriving them of the vote? In the 21st Century? In New Hampshire??

We already have years' experience of our neighbors Massachusetts and Connecticut allowing same-sex civil marriage, and how has that "cheapened" anyone else's marriage there? How has it interfered with any church's religious ceremony being done in that church's way?

Whether or not your church's opinion allows marriage within it, you still have to go down to Town Hall and get a civil marriage license, so it's a civil right, and that's what two gay adults have a right to. The same legal rights for inheritance, responsibility for each other's hospital care, tax, and insurance benefits, and as unquestionably accepted a status as a social unit as anyone else called "married".

Personally, I'm amongst the "fastest growing religious group" in New Hampshire, a non-believer. I don't happen to be gay, but neither am I black or a woman, yet I acknowledge and support any other human being's right to not be stigmatized for being themselves. As the great social critic Paul Goodman wrote, "what is really obscene is the way our society makes us feel shameful and like criminals for doing human things that we really need."

IT'S THE ECONOMY, STUPID

That should be the campaign slogan for Republicans. Clearly the Democrats have lost their way !!

This is a very interesting link on the topic of gay marriage in comparison to interracial marriage: http://www.buddybuddy.com/quiz-1.html

Call me old fashioned, but I still believe the best place for children to grow up is with their mom and dad in a strong committed relationship. Any one of us can know this by remembering back to what the heart of our own childhood longed for. Of course, I also believe that humans are flawed and imperfect. I’m a great example. We make mistakes and change our minds. People die, get divorced, and have relationships outside of marriage. It happens. However, if we want to have a strong society moving in the right direction, it needs to grow by way of strong families. That means keeping the bar set high. I think shooting for the ideal is best for our kids. Not changing our definitions and indoctrinating our kindergarteners with it.

My partner of 19 years and I were among the 37 couples who entered into legal Civil Unions at the state capitol in Concord in the opening minutes of January 1, 2008. It was, and remains, a joyous affirmation of our right to be in love “like everyone else”. We are grateful for the limited legal rights that it confers, but constantly reminded of the fundamental protections that are still denied to us. For example, although the majority of Fortune 500 companies offer domestic partner benefits, the federal government is prevented from doing so by the federal “Defense of Marriage Act”. This means that although I have worked as a federal employee for 31 years, my partner is not eligible to receive the health insurance or pension benefits that married heterosexual couples take for granted.

I'm firmly on the left side of the political spectrum, but here is how I view this. The term "marriage" has developed over the millennia as Woman + Man and is a sacred institution in a religious context. If same sex couples desire to form a legal partnership that will provide privileges like hospital visitation and shared health care benefits, I have absolutely no problem with that, but don't call it a marriage.

I really wish gay folks had done a lof of us a big favor by coming up with something better than marriage which really does require a "husband" and a "wife". While I agree that civil union sounds cold and legalistic, I'd like to see some other legal union that implies partnership, equality, and mutual support. I don't know what it would be called, but I would want it for myself. Though I've been married (happily) for 18 years, I still struggle with the term "wife" which only applies to be because I'm female. I'd much prefer partner which implies equal rather than subordinate to me. I think what is referred to as traditional marriage is very important for anyone wanting to raise children, but there are couples out there who don't want to raise kids but want to live in mutually supportive legal relationship to each other -- what is the term for that?

Isn't it funny how we are told that it's up to the gay community to educate OUR children? This is why these things are rejected. It's because this isn't about gay rights, it's about indoctrination of OUR children. Many of us simply want to leave people alone and let them live in peace. But when you take this battle to my children, that's where I draw the line. This WILL come into the classrooms, just as it's being done in Mass. We do NOT want YOU to indoctrinate OUR children. I never planned on raising my children to hate gays, but it's up to ME to educate MY children on any social issues..NOT YOU. You've made an enemy out of someone who never wanted this battle. LEAVE MY CHILDREN ALONE!

When Gov. Lynch, President Clinton and President Obama reject gay marriage, will the homosexual community figure out who is selling them out? It's not the Republicans, it's your own Representatives. Look how many Democrats in the NH legislature opposed gay marriage. The Gov. is hinting he's opposed to gay marriage. Pres. Clinton and Obama both oppose gay marriage. Go ahead and blame the REpublicans all you want...but your own Reps are selling out out behind closed doors. Take names of those Reps and get them thrown out of office. Stop focusing on the Republicans and look to your own party for your problems!