For those who think that rights given can never be taken away, some fine human beings in New Hampshire want to prove you wrong. “It’s very significant,” said New Hampshire state Rep. David Bates, the bill’s sponsor, “This will be the first place ever, anywhere in the world, where a legislature has reversed its position on same-sex marriage. … That hasn’t happened anywhere.” He must be so proud.
Both sides of the legislature expect the Republican-controlled House to pass this backwater bill that would replace the law legalizing same-sex marriage with a civil union law. The measure would also allow anyone to refuse to recognize civil unions.
Democratic Governor John Lynch, who signed the bill legalizing same-sex marriage in New Hampshire, has publicly stated he will veto any effort to repeal the law.
New Hampshire is currently one of only six states where same-sex marriage is legal — New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, and Vermont are the remaining five states. The successful reversing of this law in New Hampshire will no doubt cast an even darker shadow on the history of civil rights in the United States.
The Human Rights Campaign has launched a petition drive to show the state legislature that the whole nation is watching and stop the repeal bill from passing. Says HRC: “You don’t need to live in New Hampshire to know what’s happening there is wrong. You don’t need to be a Democrat or a liberal either. We all have a stake in equality, so we’re calling on the whole country to rally against the hate unfolding before our eyes. And you need to be heard, now – before the legislature casts its first votes.”