Supporters, Opponents Pack NH Committee On Anti-Gay Amendment

[davidinalameda]

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/02/020706nhBan.htm

State lawmakers on Tuesday were holding a hearing on a proposal to ban same sex marriage through a constitutional amendment.

Several hundred people filled New Hampshire's Representatives Hall to comment on the proposal, which would change the constitution even though gay marriage is already illegal in the state. Most of those commenting were opposed.

Backers of the resolution call it a protection from judicial intervention, frequently invoking neighbor Massachusetts' high court decision that preventing gays and lesbians to wed was unconstitutional.

There are now 18 U.S. states with constitutional amendments banning gay marriage, most passed in the wake of the Massachusetts decision to allow it.

[xchrom]

1. anybody from nh that can comment on being out numbered there?

[Lexingtonian]

2. first of all

The court decision in Cote-Whitacre v DPH is due in Massachusetts in the next few weeks or months, which (if 'the 1913 law' is overturned) could lead to lawsuits challenging DoMA and lots of mini-DoMAs very rapidly. Cote and Whitacre are NH residents, btw, so they could be the lead plaintiffs in the NH courts if the Massachusetts result is favorable.

The politics of this measure in New Hampshire is in numbers. Support for gay marriage rights runs about 10 percentage points behind the 2004 Kerry vote percentage, nationally. Kerry got 50% or 51% in NH. So I doubt that a gay marriage banning constitutional amendment will actually achieve ratification. Polls in NH say support for a ban is right where expected, 56-31, iirc.

In the NH legislature the inability to get ratification is going to be the objective fact of the matter. I wouldn't be 100% sure this bill gets through the legislature- NH Republicans have to tread lightly and are very afraid of this next election campaign, where they have a general problem of a recent history of wacko extremists in a state with a growing Blue majority that rejects them.

[moose65]

3. Any updates on this?

Any New Hampshirites out there who can update us on this? How "on the radar" is the issue? Do people care or are they apathetic? Any polls been conducted lately? I had high hopes that New Hampshire would become the next state to equalize marriage (or at least civil unions). NH has unique circumstances, bordering both Mass. and Vermont. They'll have to deal with the "portability" issue sooner or later! Oh, and BTW, this is my 100th post on DU!!