Having been in Concord for a few days, I forgot what the real world is like outside of DC. It’s refreshing, even if the locals wear a lot of camo. Not my thing, but, hey, to each his own–which is the attitude of the Granite State, whose motto is “Live Free or Die.” A strong strand of libertarianism has defined New Hampshire for decades.
And it is in this kind of environment where the next marriage fight– to repeal marriage equality or not to repeal– will play out.
We expect a bill—or bills plural– to be introduced very soon that would take away marriage rights for LGBT couples. For a year now, LGBT couples—about 1,000 of them—have gotten married. Nothing has changed. The clocks haven’t stopped. Havoc didn’t ensue as predicted by the anti-gay right.
It’s mind boggling that some in the new Republican majority in the statehouse think people here want them to actually re-litigate the marriage question. This was debated for years and is now a done deal. Enough already about gay marriage. Let’s move on. All people care about, according to every single poll, now are jobs and economic recovery.
But the so-called National Organization for Marriage and the New Hampshire arm of the Family Research Council, Cornerstone Action, won’t rest until they successfully deny marriage to committed LGBT couples. New Hampshire is one of their highest priority targets.
We’ll be updating you in this space when NOM lands in the state and provide a play-by-play of legislative activity coming out of the statehouse.
