REPEAL REJECTED: New Hampshire Sticks With Marriage Equality

[leekohler]

Hell yes!

A Republican-led effort to repeal marriage equality in New Hampshire decisively failed today. Lawmakers voted against the repeal, against replacing marriage with civil unions, and against putting marriage rights up to a voter referendum.

Just to ensure the message was clear, Republican representative Seth Cohn, who supports marriage equality, proposed banning marriage between left-handed people. That didn't pass either.

The final vote was 211-116 to kill a bill that would have rescinded marriage equality in the state, and the votes against the repeal included several Republicans, such as Cohn, who broke with their party.

Gov. John Lynch signed marriage equality legislation in 2009 after it narrowly passed through the legislature, and he has promised to veto any effort to repeal the law. It would have needed to pass through both Republican-led chambers before reaching his desk.

But the bill, introduced by state representative David Bates, couldn't muster the votes to pass the House, let alone come anywhere near the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto.

Bates had also sought a referendum but lost that vote 162-188. Polling on the issue showed that a solid majority of New Hampshire residents opposed rolling back marriage rights for gay residents. And marriage supporters argued that it was their role, not voters', to make a decision on repeal.

It wasn't the first time marriage opponents had tried to put the question on a ballot. House members voted against a similar initiative in 2010, failing to reach the 60% of members' votes to add the initiative to the ballot.

"Our opponents tried to abuse the 2010 Republican legislative sweep in New Hampshire to repeal the popular law," said Marc Solomon, Freedom to Marry’s national campaign director. "What they didn’t count on was the fact that the freedom to marry is becoming a bipartisan value, as resoundingly reflected in today’s

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_N...iage_Equality/

[Rodimus Prime]

Am I reading this right? Those are Republican lead houses that voted it down?

Does this mean hell frozen over that we have Republicans who believe in basic rights?

[Grey Beard]

That's good and how it should be. Unfortunately there will be the naysayers wanting to denigrate the issue or put in their dimes worth.

KGB

[leekohler]

Originally Posted by Rodimus Prime

Am I reading this right? Those are Republican lead houses that voted it down?

Does this mean hell frozen over that we have Republicans who believe in basic rights?

At least in some states. Or perhaps they're worried about re-election, since a solid majority of NH is in favor of equal marriage rights.

Originally Posted by Grey Beard

That's good and how it should be. Unfortunately there will be the naysayers wanting to denigrate the issue or put in their dimes worth.

KGB

That's a given.

[kavika411]

Originally Posted by Grey Beard

That's good and how it should be. Unfortunately there will be the naysayers wanting to denigrate the issue or put in their dimes worth.

KGB

Curious. Why did you put "dimes" it italics?

Thanks.

[Grey Beard]

Originally Posted by kavika411

Curious. Why did you put "dimes" it italics?

I knew that when you quoted my post. it'd just blend in the background. Also, a dime is not a coin in the currency of my country.

KGB

[mobilehaathi]

There is a tragedy here that everyone is ignoring. The righteous marriage ban for left-handed people was rejected. NH needs to stop kowtowing to radical leftists. Marriage has predominantly between right-handed people, and allowing lefties to marry sullies marriage for the rest of us. Ban left-handed marriage NOW.

[skunk]

I'm entirely ambidextrous on the subject.

[mobilehaathi]

Originally Posted by skunk

I'm entirely ambidextrous on the subject.

Obviously you're just greedy and confused and can't make up your mind.

[skunk]

Obviously.

[flopticalcube]

Positively sinister. It would be bigamy since I'm married to my right hand anyhow (well... not married but we are in a serious relationship).

[Grey Beard]

Originally Posted by mobilehaathi

There is a tragedy here that everyone is ignoring. The righteous marriage ban for left-handed people was rejected. NH needs to stop kowtowing to radical leftists. Marriage has predominantly between right-handed people, and allowing lefties to marry sullies marriage for the rest of us. Ban left-handed marriage NOW.

Hehehehe, but you put your ring around a lefthand finger.

KGB

[Happybunny]

Well it's nice to see that some Republicans can behave like normal human beings.

[chrono1081]

This is great news! Its nice to see states catching up with the 21st century.

[leekohler]

Originally Posted by chrono1081

This is great news! Its nice to see states catching up with the 21st century.

No kidding! Here in Illinois, we're gearing up for marriage equality too. We've had civil unions for a while, but they are not the same at all. There is still a lot of legal things they don't take care of.

[rdowns]

Originally Posted by Rodimus Prime

Am I reading this right? Those are Republican lead houses that voted it down?

Does this mean hell frozen over that we have Republicans who believe in basic rights?

More likely they started looking at election polls. November is right around the corner.

[leekohler]

Originally Posted by rdowns

More likely they started looking at election polls. November is right around the corner.

That's what I was thinking too. It would do the national GOP a good service to start paying attention as well.

[chrono1081]

I just do not understand how people can be such bigots and want to oppress the rights of others, and sadly they use the guise of religion to do it.

People who claim to be Christians yet still hate gay people should think long an hard about how they can explain to God why they hate one of his creations so much they want to deny them basic human rights.

I know if I felt that way I wouldn't expect to have a spot in Heaven.

(And yes, I know most people on these forums are atheists but I am not, I'm a Christian who actually reads his Bible and I am 100% for gay marriage and equal rights for all.)

[leekohler]

Originally Posted by chrono1081

I just do not understand how people can be such bigots and want to oppress the rights of others, and sadly they use the guise of religion to do it.

People who claim to be Christians yet still hate gay people should think long an hard about how they can explain to God why they hate one of his creations so much they want to deny them basic human rights.

I know if I felt that way I wouldn't expect to have a spot in Heaven.

(And yes, I know most people on these forums are atheists but I am not, I'm a Christian who actually reads his Bible and I am 100% for gay marriage and equal rights for all.)

You also sharply reject the religious right- something I wish more Christians would be more vocal about.

[chrono1081]

Originally Posted by leekohler

You also sharply reject the religious right- something I wish more Christians would be more vocal about.

Agreed. I get in arguments with "Christians" all the time about this. The biggest problem is instead of them reading their Bibles they go to church and listen to someone elses' twisted interpretation of it. I cringe and get vocal when I hear people say "The Bible says marriage is between a man and a woman" (no it doesn't) or "Sex before marriage is a sin" (doesn't say that either!) or "Man shall not lie with another man for it is an abomination" (Sure, it says that, but not in the context everyone thinks it means, it was a rule for Moses's followers to increase their numbers and many Biblical scholars agree on that).

I won't go into every detail since I'd be here all day (I'll save those for when a certain 10 cented currency appears) but in short people miss the real message of the Bible, which, in a nutshell is this:




Not to mention for idiots who still think sexuality is a choice:

http://4mind4life.com/blog/2008/07/0...-opposite-sex/

EDIT: Sorry! I didn't mean to take this thread off on a tangent!

[leekohler]

Originally Posted by chrono1081

Agreed. I get in arguments with "Christians" all the time about this. The biggest problem is instead of them reading their Bibles they go to church and listen to someone elses' twisted interpretation of it. I cringe and get vocal when I hear people say "The Bible says marriage is between a man and a woman" (no it doesn't) or "Sex before marriage is a sin" (doesn't say that either!) or "Man shall not lie with another man for it is an abomination" (Sure, it says that, but not in the context everyone thinks it means, it was a rule for Moses's followers to increase their numbers and many Biblical scholars agree on that).

I won't go into every detail since I'd be here all day (I'll save those for when a certain 10 cented currency appears) but in short people miss the real message of the Bible, which, in a nutshell is this:

Image


Not to mention for idiots who still think sexuality is a choice:

http://4mind4life.com/blog/2008/07/0...-opposite-sex/

EDIT: Sorry! I didn't mean to take this thread off on a tangent!

You didn't. It's relevant to the topic at hand. Thanks.

[macquariumguy]

I don't post much, but I lurk enough to have been very surprised at your lack of tolerance

As for my opinion regarding the subject of this thread, I consider it good news but not really surprising considering the where and when. Republicans in NH are not the same thing as Republicans in Georgia.

[SwiftLives]

Originally Posted by macquariumguy

I don't post much, but I lurk enough to have been very surprised at your lack of tolerance

Why should anyone be tolerant of others' intolerance?

[kavika411]

Originally Posted by SwiftLives

Why should anyone be tolerant of others' intolerance?

Who has demonstrated intolerance in this thread?

[leekohler]

I'm wondering if it's possible to stay on-topic here.