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NH: NOM Promises to Hold Lawmakers Accountable for Marriage Equality Repeal Failure

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

National Organization for Marriage President Brian Brown on Wednesday pledged to hold “every” New Hampshire lawmaker accountable for failing to repeal the state’s marriage equality law — all 211 of them.

Earlier in the day, the Republican-dominated New Hampshire state House voted 211-116 not to repeal the state’s two-year-old marriage equality law.

“We are very disappointed in the failure of the New Hampshire House of Representatives to pass compromise legislation restoring marriage and providing for civil unions for same-sex couples,” Brown said, in a statement.

Full Story from LGBTQ Nation

Click here for gay wedding resources in New Hampshire.

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Tags: legislators, marriage equality, new hampshire, nom, repeal, vote

Catholic Church Suddenly Supports Civil Unions

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

For the first time ever, the Roman Catholic church is endorsing civil unions, in the second historic reversal in only two weeks.

The Roman Catholic church of New Hampshire suddenly endorsed civil unions on 19 March 2012, just 48 hours before a state legislature vote that has been pending for two years. That vote must be taken by tomorrow, or else the proposed legislation will die altogether. In an equally surprising move, on 4 March, the Roman Catholic church of Maine ceased all external opposition to this year’s full marriage equality ballot campaign in Maine.

Historically, Roman Catholic officials have opposed virtually every regulation, policy, and law proposed to protect LGBT people nationwide, including all proposals for civil unions. However, faced with the choice of either retaining New Hampshire’s full marriage law which was signed on 3 June 2009, or else repealing it and replacing it with civil unions instead, church officials decided – for the first time ever – to endorse civil unions for LGBT people.

Full Story from the San Diego LGBT Weekly

Click here for gay wedding resources in New Hampshire.

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Tags: catholic church, civil unions, new hampshire

NH: GOP-Controlled House Rejects Marriage Equality Repeal by Wide Margin

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

New Hampshire lawmakers on Wednesday rejected a bill that would have repealed the state’s marriage equality law. The 211-116 vote came more than two hours after lawmakers on both sides of the aisle spoke out against House Bill 437. One hundred Republicans were among those who opposed HB 437.

“This body has set forth a ping pong ball on people’s lives,” said state Rep. Jennifer Coffey (R-Andover.)

State Rep. Keith Murphy (R-Bedford) cited a gay relative who has been in a same-sex relationship for two years when he spoke against HB 437. State Rep. Cameron De Jong (R-Manchester) referenced his faith as he testified against the marriage equality repeal bill that state Rep. David Bates (R-Windham) introduced. “God is my judge and today I ask you to support equal rights under the law,” he said.

Full Story from Edge Boston

Click here for gay wedding resources in New Hampshire.

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Tags: house, marriage equality, new hampshire, repeal, top, votr

NH: House to Vote on Marriage Equality Repeal Today

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

As we’ve been reporting over the past couple of weeks, the New Hampshire House is scheduled to vote today on a hideous bill (HB 437) from Rep. David Bates that would repeal the state’s marriage equality law.

The AP explains:

The bill, scheduled for a House vote on Wednesday, calls for repealing gay marriage in March 2013 and replacing it with a civil unions law that had been in place in 2008 and 2009. Gay marriages occurring before the repeal took effect would still be valid, but future gay unions would be civil unions. The bill also would allow voters could weigh in through a nonbinding November ballot question.

If the House passes the repeal measure, it would go to the Senate; both houses are controlled by Republicans. Democratic Gov. John Lynch has promised to veto the bill if it reaches his desk.

Full Story from Towleroad.com

Click here for gay wedding resources in New Hampshire.

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Tags: bill, Gay Marriage, house, marriage equality, new hampshire, repeal, vote

NH: NOM Suddenly Decides Civil Unions Are OK

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is the leading group fighting the legalization of same-sex marriage around the country. It has raised and spent millions, opposing not only marriage equality but also civil unions.

Yet NOM is now backing legislation in New Hampshire that would repeal same-sex marriage but legalize civil unions, signaling a shift in its tactics as more states move toward recognizing marriage equality.

The New Hampshire House is expected to vote Wednesday on a bill that would repeal marriage equality and replace it with a civil unions law that was in effect in the state in 2008 and 2009. Same-sex marriage was legalized in the state on Jan. 1, 2010.

Full Story from The Huffington Post

Click here for gay wedding resources in New Hampshire.

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Tags: civil unions, national organization for marriage, new hampshire, nom

NH: Marriage Equality Group Calls on Legislature to Kill Repeal Bill

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

The statewide group promoting the preservation of same-sex marriage in New Hampshire held a press conference today to call on the Legislature to reject a traditional marriage bill that is expected to come up for a vote on Wednesday.

More than 20 members of the leadership council of Standing Up for New Hampshire Families, along with family, friends, and spouses, gathered together to tell members of the press why they were involved in the group and why they believed in preserving the state’s same-sex marriage law. Attendees included many former and current Republican activists, business owners, and a former chief justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court.

Greg Kretschmar, the host of the Morning Buzz radio show on WGIR-FM, said for him, the issue was about personal freedom and making sure that a discriminatory law was not approved.

Full Story from Patch.com

Click here for gay wedding resources in New Hampshire.

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Tags: marriage equality, new hampshire, repeal, standing up for nh families

NH: Senator Jeanne Shaheen Calls Marriage Equality Repeal Attempt “Unfortunate”

Sunday, March 18th, 2012

New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen told EDGE in an exclusive interview earlier on Friday that efforts to repeal the Granite State’s marriage equality law are “unfortunate.”

“We’ve seen some people get elected who as I said don’t reflect the mainstream of where most New Hampshire voters are,” she said immediately after she spoke at a fundraiser for Standing Up for New Hampshire Families, a group opposed to House Bill 437, at the Human Rights Campaign in Washington, D.C. “It’s unfortunate that they’re trying to repeal this law and so much of the progress that’s been made on equal rights for gay and lesbian couples, for women, for people in New Hampshire.”

Shaheen’s comments come less than a week before the New Hampshire House is scheduled to vote on HB 437.

Full Story from Edge on the Net

Click here for gay wedding resources in New Hampshire.

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Tags: Gay Marriage, marriage equality, new hampshire, repeal, senator jeanne shaheen

Featured Gay Friendly Accommodations: Webster Photography, Hooksett, New Hampshire

Friday, March 16th, 2012

Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay.

David K. Webster, a Professional Photographers of America member and member of the New Hampshire Professional Photographer’s Association, owns and runs Webster Photography in Hooksett, New Hampshire, just north of Manchester. His award-winning work has been recognized by both associations.

Webster Photography offers a number of wedding photography packages for everything from modest to expansive budgets.

We can provide both in-studio and on-location photography sessions – we can take individual and family photographs outdoors year round. If you have a special place you’d like us to use, just let us know – we can usually accommodate you.

See the Webster Photography Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals in New Hampshire

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Tags: gay weddings, Hooksett, lesbian weddings, new hampshire, webster photography

NH: House to Vote on Marriage Equality Repeal on March 21st

Thursday, March 15th, 2012

New Hampshire lawmakers are scheduled to vote on March 21 on a measure that would repeal the state’s marriage equality law.

The expected vote in the New Hampshire House of Representatives will take place a little more than a week after state Rep. David Bates (R-Windham) said he will add an amendment to House Bill 437 that would ask voters in a non-binding referendum whether they support the reinstatement of the state’s civil unions law that took effect in 2007. Craig Stowell, chair of Standing Up for New Hampshire Families, described the proposal as a “desperate, last minute Hail Mary pass” to garner support for the measure.

A WMUR/University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll in early February found that 59 percent of state residents oppose HB 437. Forty-four percent of respondents who took part in a similar survey last October said they are more likely to vote against a candidate who supports the repeal of the state’s marriage equality law.

Full Story from Edge Boston

Click here for gay wedding resources in New Hampshire.

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Tags: Gay Marriage, marriage equality, new hampshire, repeal, vote

NH: House Votes Down Bill to Allow Wedding Vendors to Reject Gay Couples

Thursday, March 15th, 2012

The New Hampshire House on Wednesday voted down a bill which would have permitted wedding providers to refuse gay and lesbian couples. Lawmakers overwhelming rejected the bill with a 246-85 vote, the AP reported.

The measure sought to allow business owners to withhold wedding-related goods and services if they believe it would violate their conscience or religious faith. While the bill does not specifically list gay couples, a January hearing on the bill made it clear they were being targeted.

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jerry Bergevin, a Republican from Manchester, has previously said that his bill “would hardly have any effect on same-sex marriage in New Hampshire, as there are many businesses in New Hampshire.”

Full Story from On Top Magazine

Click here for gay wedding resources in New Hampshire.