CNN

THE USA is just fine, and will not suffer at all, by allowing gay marriage. Just as it did not suffer by :

1. creating a constitution allowing freedom of religion, freedom of speech, right to bear arms.
2. abolishing slavery 1860's
3. allowing women the right to vote 1919
4. Integrate the military.1940's
5. Integrate baseball 1940's
6. Integrate schools.1950's
7. Allow inter-racial marriage 1960's
8. Allow same sex marriage in Massachucetts 2004, Vermont 2006, Connecticut 2008,Iowa 2009

The age of right wing intollerance is coming to an end. Thank goodness!

Good for them? But how it that staid old New Hampshire is do progressive and enlightened...while California is ruled by bigots and hate-mongers?

ONE NATION UNDER GOD...
Our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs and laws. Anyone who believes that this serves to better our country in God's eyes needs to take a better look at the Bible. Families (one man, one woman and their children) are the building blocks fo the foundation of our society. Same sex marriage weakens the foundation and therefore puts society at risk of collapse. This is a sad day for Hew Hampshire and our country.

Equality is coming!

Good for the people of NH!

I do not undertand how a same sex marriage would harm mine. Please, can someone explain that to me? What harm is it to have equal rights for all? Isn't that what this country is about? Being free? By legalizing same sex marriages, no one is saying that "traditional" marriages have to end. I really just don't get it.

That's fine, but what are we going to do to contain AIDS? It comes with a curse. CDC studies showed that, left unchecked, gay men have the highest rate of dying and infecting one another. You can die within 2 months. Do we really want to promot an unhealthy lifestyle? If yes, how do we contain AIDS.

Disgusting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't bring that mess to MIchigan. Next we'll have gay sitcoms, commercials and since its ok lets just teach it in school. There's nothing wrong with it., right. I'm watching TV with my 4 year old. Two men kissing how can I explain that? Oh baby you have a choice either the little boy down the street or the little girl next door.
Which do you prefer? I believe in civil unions. THey should be able to visit in the hospital and get their insurance money. I have no problem with that. Don' t try to ram it down my throat. You don't want me to ram my views down your throat it works the other way also. As if our kids aren't crazy enough. Lord Help US!

Who cares. People ought to quit meddling in to other people's business. Everyone has to answer to God. he made everyone different from the other.

What has happened to religious right hate and lie machine – gays may be treated as human beings in a few states – armageddon must be just around the corner if all people might be able to be free in a few states. The Mormon church and hate spewing right wing zealots better start spending its billions of hate dollars to keep the theocracy they have created. But don't forget to kill those that divorce and eat shell fish as it says in your perverted interpretation of the bible where it also has the one mention of men lying with men.

Great news. There may be hope for this country after all. Created equal people..just remember that.

Why is it that if one were to oppose gay marriage and voice their oppinion which is clearly covered in the first amendment we should be roasted by everyone else? We're not being hateful we are not discriminating we are simply standing up for what we KNOW is right and if I'm not mistaken that's how the United States won their independence from Britain.

Kudos New Hamshire! I cant believe that in this day and age people still think that its okay to dictate who others can marry! All people are created equal and have the right to the pursuit of happiness. The only impact this will have is positive. Thank you New Hamshire, i sincerely hope that MN will not be too far behind you!

This country is no longer a Christian Nation.

Breaking News: NH has allowed Same Sex Marriage. The turn of events has prompted religious out cries from right wing zealouts to denounce the right of people to choose whom they marry. They adamantly advocate that the government should dictate whom a person may marry. Their beliefs are drawn from their religious upbringing. No other arguments have yet to be unveiled, simply 'religion' as the basis to deprive people of rights and dictate religious beliefs into law.

In an unrelated story half way around the globe: Al Qaeda imposes laws to ban women from being seen in public with out their husband or a relative. These laws are defended by quoting scriptures from thier religious teachings. The christian world unanimously condemns the self imposed government for forcing religious beliefs on all free citizens.

I'm filing for anullment of bigotry.

Its time for a national referendum on marriage and abortion in order to save this country from moral decadence!

Let freedom ring.

and Maine is next!!!
momentum in New England....conservatives beware!
your marriages are in grave DANGER

I applaud all the states that are finally recognizing and legalizing same sex marriages. I am a happily married (for 22 years) hetrosexual woman, and neither my husband or I feel threatened by giving equal rights to our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters. This is not about religious morality. It is about equal rights and protections under the laws of our country.

Awful, awful, awful!

To the chagrin of the bedroom police, this civil rights thing is spreading faster than the swine flu.

wow, while I agree that same sex marriage should be allowed and legally recognized It would be pretty shady for the governor to campaign against same-sex marriage to get into office and then go back on his word; that's being extremely dishonest to the people of your state.

The tide is turning and the word "marriage" will soon be acceptable in describing homosexual couples. Im glad to see progress is being made in this front.

I am shocked and very disgusted with what is going on in America how could this happen in America? I think it is utterly disgusting!

three cheers and a hooray! for new hampshire.

thank you, New Hampshire!

Same sex marriage is merely the freedom to live your life as you see fit in what is supposed to be a free country. It doesn't affect any else's freedom to live their life as they see fit. My staunchly Republcian/Christian parents who have vote that way since Nixon's first term even acknowledge this.

UH OH.........what does Miss New Hampshire think?!?!?!?!?
What does Megan McCain think?? Oh my goodness!!

Will the ironically named right wing marriage group step in and say that THEIR rights have been threatened (because someone else now has equal rights??)

KUDOS N.H., the state where a person is.....a person! And another person is.......EQUAL!!

"It allows each religion to decide whether to acknowledge same-sex marriage, but extends the option of civil marriage to any two individuals."

If you live with someone as a room mate of the same sex you might as well get a civil marriage to get the extra money and just get divorced when you no longer live together. Married couples get what $1,000 in tax a year?

There is absolutely NO EVIDENCE that gay marriage is a threat to society or children. If people are against it because it's against there beliefs, then fine, but stop with the fear mongering, world is going to end rants!

By the way, 50% of HETEROSEXUAL marriages in the country end in divorce. I say we pass laws to ban divorce! Then all the heterosexuals will be stuck with your spouses for the rest of your lives...but hey, atleast you'll be preserving marriage.

Go New Hampshire!! I hope this becomes law.

can you imagine, if all tax payers got equal rights? like filing jointly..

...and the walls come tumbling down. Soon we may celebrate freedom from one side of this country to another. The slavery of discrimination is evaporating as a younger generation grows into realizing bigotry is for the unintelligent.

Five down, forty-five to go

The wave of the future is to put all couples and families on the same footing and legal setting. We all know that separate, but equal isn't. Marriage is two people who love each other unconditionally. It shouldn't matter what their genders are.

Good. One step closer to people being able to love who they want, when they want, where they want, and how they want.

It's the hate that we need to work on.

As a woman who has been happily married to the same man for over 15 years, I can't see how allowing gay couples to marry puts my marriage at risk. When I see a gay couple saying their vows or walking hand in hand, I am happy for them. I don't understand how two happy adults can be seen as a threat.

I'm not sure if I am going to get into trouble but here we go. While I do not have an issue with gay marriage I do have issues with try to change the Federal Marriage Amendment. On the other hand I also believe that gay people are people too and what they do in the privacy of their own homes is their business, and loves knows no race, creed, color, or sexual orientation. We are all God's children. I interact with them everyday and they are my friends. I am not their friend because they are gay, I am they are my friend because they are people men and women.

Good for them. Equal rights for all!

" It allows each religion to decide whether to acknowledge same-sex marriage, but extends the option of civil marriage to any two individuals"

This is EXACTLY as it should be. If you don't like what your church does, then LEAVE...but stop asking the government to make laws that endorse your churchs rules on EVERYONE else in america.

Sincerely,
Christian, Straight...but tired of people trying to make their religious beliefs into laws.

Why do people even care? I don't think if a couple of gay dudes down the street got married it would have any effect at all on my marriage. Weird.

Hooray, way to go NH, thanks for your part in bringing down the country!

AAH Yes. The democratic flavor of the month.

This is great news for the civil rights movement. POINT1: The US and state constitutions guarantee "Equilty and Justice" under law. As law-abiding citizens, we gays have been denied equality, this must end. POINT 2: Is false to assert that granting equality to fellow citizens is an attack on marriage. Marriage equality does not deny straight people the right to marry nor will it not reduce the number of straight people marrying. We have seen this same twisted reasoning before by conservatives who resisted women and blacks getting the vote. Granting equality is not an attack, it is justice! POINT 3: The number 1 cause of divorce in America is money. If opponents of marriage equality were really concerned with the state of marriage, they would reevaluate affiliation with the Republican party whose discredited "Trickle Down" Tax policies have impoverished the middle class, stagnated wages and shipped good paying jobs overseas – all stressors on marriage.

equality is not sameness.

Economic and social respect can be otherwise recognized without recognizing same-sex marriage.

For all the people expending a great deal of time and money to prevent equal rights, one wonders if there are better ways and better places they could expend their energy. Does the threat of married gays really matter more then supporting a missionary overseas, or feeding starving children, or buying bibles for a prison?

The NH State Senate version sounds like a reasonable compromise that people on the right and left should be able to live with.

No religion should be forced to accept something that is unacceptable to their beliefs. This is basic First Amerndment 101, and should give comfort to those who object to gay marriage on religious grounds.

However, no government has a right to tell me who I can and can't put in my will, or on my life insurance policy, etc. Since this is the only part of marriage that government has any authority in anyway, even the most strident gay marriage advocate should be happy with allowing civil unions. It's not like government is capable of forcing every church in the USA to accept gay marriage, even if they wanted to.

Dissapointed,Very!

Don't tell Rush.

This is awesome!
It's about time.

Let the voters of NH decide .... like we did in CA.

State Constitutional Amendment!

Huh...and here I am not a pillar of salt...go figure...

Good. Its about time. Now time to get rid of the hatred and prejudice shown by so many people like the Governor.

Congratulations to the Gay Community for another victory. It is just a matter of time before the country realizes we are not going away. We are not going to harm marriage in any way. We are not trying to hurt America in any way. We are only asking for the same treatment as all other Americans who enjoy the freedom to marry the person they want to spend the rest of their lives with. And we are Americans just like you. We are your brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, members of the military, members of law enforcement, members of the clergy, and even your mothers and fathers. Somehow I still find it amazing that the opponents to gay marriage have no other plausible argument than the bible. Time to vote for separation of Church and State permanantly.

Another victory for equality for all people. Good work, NH.