(CNN) – The New Hampshire State Senate narrowly voted Wednesday to allow the state to become the fifth in the country to legalize same-sex marriage.
The measure, passing on a 13-11 vote, now heads to the New Hampshire House of Representatives, which has passed same-sex marriage legislation, but rejected earlier this year a provision in the Senate bill that lays out a distinction between civil and religious marriage.
New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, has not indicated whether he would sign the bill should it reach his desk.
(Updated to clarify that the rejected provision was a small part of a larger bill, which passed the House)
From CNN Politics
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A very sad day in America!
I have never been involved with the same sex nor even considered it however i think this is WONDERFUL! Discrimination of any kind should be banned forever. The rethugs say they want a small gov yet they want to tell you who to marry and not to marry. God loves us all! Love is never a sin.
I frankly could not care less what the dozen or so opposite sexes do with each other, whether or not they choose to marry each other, invertebrates or inanimate objects. These matters are private choices and have no place in politics or law.
1. Allow all men who want to marry men to do so.
2. Ditto for women who want to marry women.
3. Allow wholesale abortion like Obama favors.
4. Won't be long before there are no Democrats and gosh, no CNN viewers and readers.
The New Hampshire House actually APPROVED this bill. It failed on the first reading, but PASSED on the second.
Come on NH. Make us proud!
Marriage can be only between a Man and a Woman, Because:
1. Only a Sperm can fertilize an Egg, to reproduce.
2. Every young one of an animal on earth is parented by a male and female. That is nature. Human beings should not break the rule of nature.
3. Penis goes into Vagina, not Anus, Mouth, Ears, Nose, because these organs are made for other uses, not for sex.
Make it a ballot initiative and live with the results. How's that sound?
AWESOME! Now almost ALL Patriots fan have the rights that our founding fathers had hoped for when they founded this country!!!! Yahoooooo! Go Pats, Sox, Celts and Bruins!!!!!!
Hey conservatives, how is love ever wrong? And what god do you guys worship that discriminates???????
We fail to realize that a new generation have risen up. with no Godly morals, and have let evrything we no is true is washing away by people that is blind to the truth. But those who really know that truth is not surprice what what is going to happen to this country in the future. Yet we fail to see that it happen to others countries in the past beciuse of the morals they allowed to happen. have not we learned yet. instead of becoming wise we are becoming fools.
This is a sad generation that needs to be told that homosexaulity, gay marriage, and all this other stuff we are participating in, is wrong. We have lost our moral status in this world, in our communities, and most importantly in our hearts. Please turn back to God!!!!!!!!!
Maybe the new face of hate – Miss CA can fly there beg for them to keep hate alive and not treat all their law abiding tax paying citizens as human.
I am an independant and I feel that between Vermont, CT, and MA people who are gay that want to get married have plenty of options. I believe like the majority in NH that marriage is a union that is from God between a man and a woman. Yes I am religious but not an extremist.
My brother is gay so believe me I am not biased. I love him dearly but I don't believe (based on scripture) that God meant men to marry men and woman to marry woman.
Why does the word vomit come to mind? Queers are very SICK people.
Touching one of the same sex in an erotic way? VOMIT!! This is what is has come down to... "And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet"
The greatest fear of the radical religious "right" is coming true: state after state is standing up for the idea that individual liberty applies to ALL of us, and the world isn't coming to an end. With every state that passes marriage equality laws, and the lives of the so-called "normal" people continue on unaffected, the less chance the morality police have of forcing us all to live according to their rules. BRAVO to the NH Senate. Let's hope this bill - and similar bills in other states - continue to move forward.
beautiful news!
Finally. America is slowly coming into the 21st Century by allowing ALL citizens to have equal rights. We have focused so much on givng to the blacks and making reparations that we have forgotten about other Americans who are being discriminated against. EVERY American and citizen of this country should be equal. Period.
It is shaping up to be quite a year for the civil same-sex marriage debate...it may be too soon to congratulate all LGBT Americans on a complete victory in securing their rights...but these steps taken by various states are certainly steps forward....which I've always thought of as being better than stumbling backward
Hopefully this will pass the New Hampshire House next! By simply pushing a button on your desk at the State House, you have possibly legitimized the rights and lives of thousands of hard working people who pay taxes, shovel their neighbor's driveways, push cars out of snowbanks, give up their seats on the train, hand foul balls at Fenway to a little kid, coach football, fight in Iraq & Afghanistan, raise children, care for parents, and most importantly, hold the door for the next person at Dunkin' Donuts.
You are bringing thousands of families together. You are preventing an unknown number of youth and adult suicides. Neighbors can now continue to go on with their daily lives. You are bringing unity. You are showing respect.
Now you can work on the real problems: taxes, poverty, healthcare, education. Good luck.
A happy, healthy and educated state is a strong state.
Thank you and enjoy your spring.
Won't happen if Miss California has anything to say about it!
yet another reason why i am moving to that part of the country from the deep south.
Morality has become the victim of late term abortion in this country.
Conservatives screaming "WE own marriage, and the world....you aren't free! only WE, the bigoted and hypocritical Radical Reicht Wing, are!" in 3.....2......1
Adam and Steve can't concieve.
The government needs to get out of the marriage business, but until that happens, all states need to stop discriminating as New Hampshire finally has. Not a seperate type of union for those whom 'we' feel aren't worthy of a 'real' marriage. The government should grant everyone access to a 'civil union' and let marriages be handled by churches, synagogues, temples, chapels, mosques and any other so-called spiritual outlets where discrimination is taught accepted and applauded. America acts like we have a monopoly on the separation of church and state and yet we have more issues of conflict than most western countries. Miss California should have said that rather than the hate speech she's so familiar with.
I find the unintentional (presumeably) juxtaposition of this story right after the one about Miss California becoming a spokesperson for an anti-gay organization hysterical! CNN, I hope you planned it that way!
As a 58-year old straight single woman, I find the whole contraversy about gay marriage breathtakingly stupid. Having a civil marriage between Catholics and non-Catholics hasn't "ruined" the institution of marriage, when at one time, the Catholics swore it would. There was a time when marriage between people of different races was not only banned by law, but lambasted by the church in all its forms. If you separate the legal definition of marriage (i.e. a civil contract between two people that form a legal unit) from the religious, it becomes a simple choice.
Noone is saying to force a church to perform wedding ceremonies between gays. But the vows are followed by the religious leader saying "by the power invested in me by the state of x, I now pronounce you husband and wife" which to me indicates that the civil marriage is only being recognized during the religious wedding ceremony by the church authority. For goodness sake, give the gays a legal union that has the same rights and benefits of a marriage celebrated by a religious wedding ceremony, and call it quits!
This is incorrect. The NH House did not "veto" a similar bill earlier this month. Originally, they voted their version of the marriage bill down, then reconsidered it; then passed it by a 7 vote margin (186-179.)
The Senate passed a slightly different version of the House bill today, offering a distinction between civil and religious marriages. The House and Senate must now reconcile the two bills and send a final bill to Governor Lynch for approval.
Why do same sex people want to marry? What is the point except to point out to everyone someone loves them?
Another sad day for our country. It is high time to stand up for morals and what is right before this country goes down any further.
I give the President an entusiastic A- grade.
When I consider how much he has had to deal with in the last months, I'm blown away! How many of his detractors could do half as well?
Somebody ought to tell the "loyal minority," and Fox News that Obama didn't invent the swine flu epidemic to have more work to do!
Get behind the guy or get some new ideas of your own that work.
Congratulations, New Hampshire! Marriage is a CIVIL RIGHT, nothing necessarily to do with Church weddings. This separation of church (which one?) and state is way past due.
I've got three broads waiting in the wings for this....why shouldn't they share my millions???
The NH didn't VETO. They voted FOR an almost identical bill, and it will just need to vote again so they send the identical bill to Gov. Lynch.
There is no such thing as a "gay marriage," nor will there ever be, regardless of any actions taken by any legislative body. "Gay marriage" is a contradiction in terms.
Don't sign it!
I don't think you meant "vetoed"; I think you meant "rejected."
In your face Miss California!
God Bless the Great State of New Hampshire.
I am so glad that I'm moving out of this country. So long, America.
Marriage passed the House already and this was the second reading in the Senate. Now we await final passage in the Senate before the bill goes to Gov's desk.
Where does CNN get their ridiculous information? You should read HRC's press release before posting. They seem to know what's going on...
This shouldn't be news. It should be a no-brainer. It's about time another state came to their senses.
Activist elected officals! Only 45% of people would approve! Thats 55% disapproval! can't you see how much more 55 is than 45!!!
Good. Lets get the rest to start treating people equally and get rid of prejudice and discrimination.
More politicians pandering to the freaks and deviants in our society.
This article neglects to mention that the bill already passed the House. It is only going back because the Senate made a few amendments. If all goes well, the House should pass it again.
Take that, Miss CA.
Well, I guess if a meteor doesn't hit New Hampshire within the week, that proves there's no God... or at least that the evangelicals are wrong about his opinion on gay marriage.
Why is there ANY secular legislation on marriage? It's a religious institution ('in the sight of God'), and hence, by our First Amendment rights cannot be regulated by government! If a church wants to marry gay people, fine, but they can't enforce my Church to recognize that marriage. Government needs to completely stay out of it, one way or another!
I thought President Obama did not approve of same sex marriage.
Wonderful! Come on NH, show the entire Union that you truly do live up to the slogan 'live free or die'. Become the 5th state to side with equality, and then New England will earn its title as the enlightened part of the Union.
Come into the light NH and join your "twin" in Vermont.
Same gender marriages help millions of people and hurt no one.
As of today you cannot form an opinion on this subject without being threatened with criminal prosecution. Please be careful of your posts.
Wonderful!
You straights have absolutely nothing to worry about.
Live & Let Live.
Go New Hampshire!
TomH (In) April 29th, 2009 3:56 pm ET
Adam and Steve can't concieve.
Neither can a lot of straight couples. What does that have to do with anything?
Barbara April 29th, 2009 4:04 pm ET
Another sad day for our country. It is high time to stand up for morals and what is right before this country goes down any further.
Tell you what- you worry about your own morals and let everyone else worry about their own.
Another wonderful day in America! Consenting adults, gay or straight, should be able to marry one another.
I am tired of listening to the hate that is going back and forth between those that believe in same sex marriage and those who do not believe in same sex marriage. All states should just pass the bill and get it done, so we can all have a rest!!!
Just be happy that they don't outlaw stupid people from being married or breeding. If they did, it would lead to the extinction of conservatives and republicans.