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Londonderry Rejects Discrimination

by: Zandra Rice Hawkins

Tue Feb 02, 2010 at 00:48:23 AM EST
(Bumped. This is the New Hampshire I know and love. - promoted by Dean Barker)

For those keeping count at home ... Londonderry rejected the vote to discriminate tonight. WMUR:
LONDONDERRY, N.H. -- The Londonderry Town Council unanimously rejected a petition Monday night to consider challenging the new gay marriage law in New Hampshire, which took effect Jan. 1. Since then, opponents have launched an effort to challenge the law by raising the issue at town meetings around the state.

Before the public hearing, a group of about 30 students rallied in support of marriage equality outside of Town Hall. (Gotta love the next generation - they really get it.) Inside, students and other testifiers exposed the vote to discriminate for what it really is.

By the end of it, the Town Council had unanimously rejected Rep. Al Baldasaro's attempt to have Londonderry challenge marriage equality. Baldasaro had submitted a petition with 1% of registered voters in the town, the percentage required in order to have the matter considered by the town council. Londonderry Town Council had the option to accept or deny the petition; if someone collects signatures from 5% of registered voters in the town the petition is automatically added to the town ballot

Citing a variety of reasons - not the least of which is that if Baldasaro really wants a vote on the definition of marriage then he should be willing and able to collect the required 5% signatures - the council decided that he should have to follow the established town charter requirements instead of circumventing them.

In agreement with the council's position is Londonderry Protects Marriage Equality, a group of concerned community members who have come together to take a stand against discrimination. You can visit them here on the web or here on Facebook if you want to send a congratulations.

Londonderry will be on watch for the next couple of weeks as they wait to hear whether Al got the other signatures.
Zandra Rice Hawkins :: Londonderry Rejects Discrimination
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Londonderry Rejects Discrimination | 13 comments
Neighbor Helping Neighbor (4.00 / 1)
Those who live in our New Hampshire towns are caring people and in the best tradition of good neighbors, they won't vote to take rights away from their fellow citizens.  We're all in this adventure of life together, and "neighbor helping neighbor" means equality as well as helping one another.

Those who want to return to the discrimination of the past are finding out that New Hampshire has moved beyond that now.  What a wonderful time to feel especially proud of the people of our state.  

Excellent! (4.00 / 3)
One of the people I work with was at the Rye deliberative session this weekend where the folks voted to amend the proposed anti-marriage warrant to just state, "To see". He told me that, like Rindge, someone from outside the town showed up to try to speak in favor of the petition. The residents of the town in attendance voted to limit speaking to residents. He told me that it looked like no one who signed the petition actually showed up at the meeting.





"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

It's Coming to My Town (0.00 / 0)
I am saddened that New Castle, still one of the least persuadable towns in the state (in terms of Democrats winning) will have the question on its warrant article. Being on the town ballot I believe means no discussion, people just vote in secret at our May town meeting. I welcome ideas as to how to deal with this. Perhaps some organization can do a mailing.
To think that people would even want to vote on other people's rights!

No'm Sayn?
Warrant Article Accepted in Hampton (0.00 / 0)
Sadly, after eight hours of town meeting, hardly anyone was in the room (myself included) when the article came up at the Hampton deliberative session. No one spoke up either for or against the article and it was passed on as is. Now we'll just have to defeat it at the polls. I would welcome a discussion with Hampton voters on how we can best do this.
[ Parent ]
oops (0.00 / 0)
I should have said "At  8PM, after 12 hours of town meeting,"
[ Parent ]
Burt -- Check Out GraniteStateProgress.org (0.00 / 0)
Zandra Rice Hawkins, the Executive Director of GraniteStateProgress.org has already done excellent work on this cause.  We're organizing in the Legislature as well, with our network that successfully passed House Bill 436.  

The GraniteStateProgress.org WEBSITE has much to help the efforts in the towns.  Good stuff is happening!  Good luck.  

[ Parent ]
How much time (0.00 / 0)
does he have to collect the 5% signatures in Londonderry, and is this an option in any town that rejects the warrant petition?

If anyone could link me to a concise description of the rules of NH town halls, I'd appreciate it.  It look like different towns do things differently, so there isn't one uniform rule.  Is this true?  (I didn't come from a town hall state, can you tell? :)

Wolfeboro's article was amended tonight (4.00 / 5)
After a very articulate speech by one of our citizens married under the new law, the Wolfeboro article was amended by the deliberative session to call for the commendation of the Governor and the Legislature for their support of equal rights. Don't have the exact language but wow, it was worth waiting till the end of the meeting to be there for that!
Ha! So awesome. (4.00 / 2)
Jeb Bradley, meet the good people of Wolfeboro.

birch paper; on Twitter @deanbarker
[ Parent ]
The March For Equality... (4.00 / 1)
...is very difficult to stop, and never forever.  
[ Parent ]
Awesome (4.00 / 1)
Just. Awesome.
[ Parent ]
Question (0.00 / 0)
Is anyone keeping score out there? I have a rough idea about what towns have voted this thing down but hardly any news on those that have gone the other way. Could somebody keep a running score posted on this blog please.
sadly (0.00 / 0)
Wakefield and Littleton have kept the article, and will be seeing it on their ballots.  
[ Parent ]
Londonderry Rejects Discrimination | 13 comments

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