(Great writeup. Part put below the fold, and thanks. - promoted by Dean Barker)
This is a public thank you to everyone who made it down to Manchester today as we stood as silent witnesses for equality against the National Organization for Marriage's unwelcome stop in New Hampshire on its nationwide bus tour.
Well, at least they're persistent. NOM pours money into the state to keep trying to thwart New Hampshire's decisions, attack our representatives and our governor (the only governor in the nation to sign a marriage equality bill!) and ignore our strong tradition of protecting civil liberties. We were there in Manchester today to bear witness to New Hampshire's commitment to marriage equality as NOM attempted to spread its lies here.
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It's of course difficult to stay calm when you're listening to insults and lies about who you are, the worthlessness of your family and the danger to your children. (My partner, Bob, and I didn't bring our two daughters; we didn't want them hearing such hateful speech). The pro-equality group was good, though. It was enough for us to publicly show a steadfast presence in the face of the vitriol NOM was spouting.
The numbers were interesting, too. NOM and Cornerstone Policy Research were able to get about 75-85 staffers and supporters to show up after weeks of organizing. I sent out a Facebook link two days ago, and we had almost 50 people show up. Thank you, New Hampshire! And thank you to supportive organizations and individuals who shared that link.
I want to thank especially my pastor, Rev. Carla Bailey, and the UCC Conference Minister for New Hampshire, Rev. Gary Schulte, for standing with us. I think it's important to show that people of faith can and do believe in and stand up for equality. We can believe in and stand up for the truth that God gives grace into every human life.
It's clear to me that the small numbers of NOM supporters are just another example of how the anti-equality forces are losing ground in the Granite State. In the past year, we passed marriage equality, defeated a repeal bill by almost 2-to-1, and, just this past spring, town after town stood up to oppose discrimination and to affirm equality. Of the 222 communities in New Hampshire, only 61 voted against marriage equality. NOM sure has a long way to go in this state!
I am especially proud of my town, Hanover, where we submitted our own resolution since they couldn't get anyone to petition for the other one.
Article 23: To see if the Town will vote to affirm our state constitution's guarantee that all persons are "equally free and independent". We therefore strongly affirm the new marriage equality law, which promises equal freedom, dignity and respect for all our citizens. We also strongly condemn the efforts by some to repeal the new marriage law and enshrine discrimination in our constitution, all in order to deny our fellow citizens the fundamental right of equality to which we are all entitled.
The resolution passed 141 to 6! That's real New Hampshire people strongly affirming the tradition of our state and the reality that equality is a fundamental part of any democratic society. I hope NOM got the message this time.
I was proud to stand with my fellow Granite Staters today to bear witness to our great state's commitment to equality. "Live Free or Die" really means something to our citizens. And so does the belief that marriage is about love and commitment. And that's something to celebrate.
Pictures below the fold.
-Rep. David Pierce
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