Story Archives of 'Civil Unions'

While the same-sex marriage debate has involved the 400+ lawmakers and hundreds of members of the general public, its fate may rest with one man, Governor John Lynch. Lynch was in a near-identical situation two years ago when lawmakers passed same-sex civil unions.

House backing of gay marriage comes two years after lawmakers approved civil unions, and divided the chamber mostly along party lines. All but 26 Democrats voted in favor, and all but 12 Republicans voted against.

Civil unions became legal as the clock struck midnight New Years Eve.

As many same sex couples held ceremonies and celebrated, others were shocked to discover they won’t get the same benefits afforded to married couples.

New Hampshire Public Radio’s Amy Quinton reports.

2007 was a year of victory for our primary and for same sex couples, a year of trouble for the state’s highway department and for the mill town of Groveton. It was a year when adequacy in public education was defined and Ed and Elaine Brown were captured. We look back at the biggest stories and forward to how they may play out in 2008.

Guests

• Bill Gardner, New Hampshire Secretary of State, speaking on the New Hampshire primary
• Bob Odell, Republican State Senator from Lempster who was on the conference committee that worked on school adequacy, speaking on defining an adequate education
• Murray Rogers, president of the USW Local 61 at the Wausau Paper Plant, speaking about the mill closing in Groveton
• Bill Boynton, public information officer for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, speaking about the state of transportation in New Hampshire
• Vin Sylvia, managing editor of the Sunday Edition and Sports Section for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News, about New England sports teams
• Stephen Monier, United States Marshall for the District of New Hampshire, speaking about the standoff and capture of Ed and Elaine Brown
• Gail Morrison, an openly gay Democratic State Representative from Sanborton, speaking about the civil unions bill

The unofficial wedding season has begun. The month of June will certainly see its fair share of handsome grooms and blushing brides. Tonight on the Front Porch, we're going to take a closer look at American wedding culture. Tradition is nice, but it can also be overwhelming. We'll find out how couples can take control of their nuptials and keep the wedding industry from calling too many of the shots. We'll talk with Kamy Wicoff, author of I Do But I Don't: Why they Way We Marry Matters. Kamy also sits on the board of the I Do Foundation.

We'll also get a quick primer on New Hampshire's new law that will allow civil unions for gay couples. We'll find out what couples considering a civil union might need to know. We'll talk with Michele Granda, staff attorney at GLAD (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders). The group recently released its guide to New Hampshire Civil Unions. You can download it here.