Jun 04 2009
New Hampshire Legalizes Gay Marriage
New Hampshire has become the sixth state in the United States to legalize same sex marriage. Despite Democratic Governor John Lynch’s personal opposition to same sex marriage, he nonetheless signed the bill into law after some last-minute editing of the bill’s language.
The bill passed the State House 198-176 and the Senate approved it 14-10.
The new bill provides participation exemptions for churches and other religious organizations and church-related charities and educational organizations are not required to extend benefits to the spouses of same sex employees.
New Hampshire joins Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, and Iowa as the only states in the union to approve of same sex marriage.
California briefly allowed the practice before a public vote passed Proposition Eight, and opponents of same sex marriage in Maine are trying to organize a similar public vote.
Rhode Island is currently the only state in New England to not allow same sex marriage. Many bills have failed in the State Legislature, and a similar measure is expected to do so later this year.
