New Hampshire ties gay marriage knot

New Hampshire became the fifth state in New England yesterday and the sixth in the country to allow same-sex marriage, as lawmakers approved and the governor signed revised legislation designed to balance personal and religious freedom. Hang-ups over the wording had threatened to kill the bill multiple times this spring, but in a flurry of activity yesterday, Senate and House lawmakers approved a final version acceptable to Governor John Lynch. "Today we're standing up for the liberties of same-sex couples by making clear that they will receive the same rights, responsibilities, and respect under New Hampshire law," said Lynch, a former opponent of gay marriage, in the Executive Council Chamber just before he signed the bill. "But we are also standing up for religious liberties." Lynch, a Democrat, called it "a day to celebrate in New Hampshire." The law, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2010, clarifies that religious institutions and their employees are free to determine whether to participate in weddings between gay and lesbian couples and whether to recognize same-sex unions granted by the state and other religious groups. Amid the cheers of lawmakers and activists who crowded in to watch him sign the legislation, Lynch also expressed support for changing federal marriage law to allow the marriages. It was a scene scarcely imaginable just a few years ago. In the 200-seat House Gallery, supporters of same-sex marriage outnumbered opponents approximately 10 to 1. After lawmakers cast the decisive vote, the gallery erupted in thunderous applause. "We're thrilled to death," said Mo Baxley, executive director of the New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Coalition, which led the campaign to legalize same-sex marriage. "We're equal. Equal isn't nothing - it's everything." As people spilled out amid hugs and cheers, same-sex marriage opponent Barbara Haines stood to the side and whispered, "Repent, repent." "The basis of marriage is in God, and he created the male and the female to be married and have a family," Haines, a 54-year-old architecture student from Manchester who leads her own ministry, said as she stood beneath a row of oil paintings of 19th-century officials. "These people are deceived." Outside the State House, supporters touted messages of individual liberty, equality for same-sex couples, and freedom for the religious institutions that want to consecrate their marriages. Opponents focused on religion. "It's not for us to go against what the Creator has said, in his word," said Darla Davis, a 47-year-old homemaker from Pembroke, N.H., who carried a sign reading "Truth: One Man One Woman." Davis brought her two adolescent sons because, she said, she knew that same-sex marriage advocates would bring a large, vocal crowd. "I know God is on my side," she said, sitting on a bench with a friend at the plaza outside the granite-block State House. "I don't feel outnumbered." Until the 2006 state elections, Republicans had more than a century of nearly uninterrupted control of the New Hampshire Legislature, but a new Democratic majority legalized civil unions in 2007. A marriage bill proposed this year seemed less than a sure bet but squeaked through the House in March. Massachusetts and Connecticut already allow gay marriages. Recent legislation in Maine and Vermont legalized same-sex marriage there, to take effect in September. Beyond New England, Iowa is the only state in which gay and lesbian people can marry. California previously issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples but ceased doing so last year after voters enacted Proposition 8, a ballot measure that ended same-sex marriage in the state. The California Supreme Court upheld that ban last week. Many of the supporters in New Hampshire yesterday came from Massachusetts. Christine Hurley, 38, of Quincy, said she was motivated by the California high court's action. "I think it's important for people to come out and stand up for what they believe in," said Hurley, who had previously demonstrated only in Massachusetts. "We have to win it state by state." The New Hampshire bill nearly died in the Senate, but lawmakers amended it on the floor to add language protecting religious freedoms. It passed narrowly, winning 13 of 14 Democrats but none of the 10 Republicans. Although the House agreed to that version in May, Lynch said he would be forced to veto the bill without the addition of even more wording to ensure religious freedom. The Senate agreed, but the House balked two weeks ago, declining to approve the revised bill by a narrow margin. The measure went instead to a joint committee for more refining, and supporters made sure they had sufficient attendance when the legislation returned yesterday. It passed in the House, 198 to 176. At a celebratory rally on the State House plaza, Bishop V. Gene Robinson, the openly gay leader of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, told supporters to savor the moment so they can tell their children and grandchildren "you were here and you made it happen." But Robinson also encouraged younger members of the crowd to study history and realize that the gains had come only after years of struggle - with more work ahead. "I couldn't be prouder to be the speaker of the New Hampshire House today," said Representative Terie Norelli. Citing the turnaround by some lawmakers who had rejected even civil unions two years ago, she added: "It's an evolutionay process."