Marriage Equality Repeal Bills Up For March 1st Executive Session

by: Rep. Jim Splaine

Wed Feb 23, 2011 at 12:27:47 PM EST

Those bills are:

HB 437-FN, relative to the definition of marriage.
HB 443-FN, establishing that marriage between one man and one woman shall be the only legal domestic union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.
HB 569-FN, establishing domestic union as a valid contract and extending certain rights to parties to a domestic union.

Last Thursday at the State House was amazing.  The turnout and the Sea Of Red in favor of marriage equality was heart-warming for all those who have worked on this cause through the years and faced considerable abuse for their personal and political positions.  But it's clear that the American Way is that when people have a taste of freedom and equality, they won't give it up easily.  

We need to do follow-up, especially since we don't know absolutely for sure what will happen at the Judiciary Committee Executive Session on March 1st.  And even if the bills are "retained," they can be brought up by next January.  

We passed marrage equality by showing our faces and telling our stories.  Here's what we can continue to do:

1.  E-Mails, letters, telephone calls to all House members in your district. They need to hear from their own neighbors.   That's vital.  And effective.  For now at least, contact all House Judiciary Committee members -- Democrats and Republicans.  http://www.gencourt.state.nh.u...

3.  Write a letter to the editor to your nearby newspaper.  No matter what the Judiciary Committee does on March 1st, the House as a whole won't take this issue up for at least a while.  

4.  Talk with leaders of the groups and Churches in your area. Let them know you want to protect marriage-for-all and see if you can get their members involved.  

5.  INDIVIDUAL CONTACT.   The hearing was important because we needed to balance the opposition in numbers and message. That more than happened, in our favor.  But, unfortunately -- most House members weren't there.  It's our "homework" that will really make the difference, talking with our House members face-to-face, one-to-one, heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul.

Thursday was fantastic, but Friday was also important, because that's when the news stories and pictures on the front pages of newspapers statewide, as well as video on television stations -- and of course the Internet -- let young people who might otherwise be feeling despair because of the way they are treated at home or at school because of their sexual identity saw that many people were willing to say it is okay to be gay.

When I met with Governor John Lynch in 2007 to encourage him to support and sign the Civil Unions bill, and then in 2009 when I talked with him about the marriage equality bill, I told him that his public signature would mean a great deal as a positive message for our young people, and even save lives.  

The second leading cause of suicide for young people under 20 is questions about sexual identity.  The message of "It Gets Better" was shown by those pictures of a popular governor in news media in May of 2007 and then June of 2009 distributed throughout the world.  he signed both bills publicly.  I think he saved lives each time, because he showed "..it gets better."

We have made great progress, and last weeks's public hearing was so important.  The pictures and stories of that wonderful day gave a message of hope and unity to all of us.  Every time we talk about equality and diversity, it gets better.

But still, our "audience" for victory to save marriage remains with a small group -- the House.  And they will vote on these bills sooner, or later.  We need about 5 dozen Republicans to join Democrats, and I think we can get that.  But we need follow-up, since most House members did not see the public hearing, and many of them didn't read those newspaper stories about the hearing.  They need to hear from us.