Friday, May 15, 2009

New Hampshire Govenor will Allow Gay Marriage


The Governor of New Hampshire, John Lynch, has said that he will support the gay marriage bill. He said he will only do so if they add in protects for religious institutions. Basically, they want to add that churches will not be forced to perform marriages if it conflicts with their religious beliefs.

(Concord) New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch says he will sign a bill to make his state the sixth to legalize gay marriage, but only if it strengthens protections for churches opposed to gay marriage.

The bill has been passed by the Legislature, but hasn’t yet reached Lynch’s desk.
It would allow churches to decide whether they will conduct religious marriages for same-sex couples. But Lynch said Thursday he wants clearer language to ensure that people won’t be forced to violate their religious principles. He says laws in Connecticut and Vermont do that.

The only other New England state not committed to recognizing same-sex marriage is Rhode Island. It’s also legal in Iowa.

I think the religious protection is fair, private organizations, such as churches, should not have to perform religious ceremonies on LGBT Couples if they do not wish to. While I think that they should perform them, they should not be forced to. Some churches, such as the Episcopal Church, Unitarian Universalists, and MCC are progressive on gay rights and I feel they will probably perform the ceremony.

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