Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine mull gay marriage bills

Same-sex marriage is inching forward in three more New England states with the introduction of marriage equality bills in Vermont and Maine, and a public hearing on a similar bill in New Hampshire. Gay marriage already is legal in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Vermont was the first state in the country to legalize civil unions in 2000. Since then LGBT groups have criticized the law for creating a “two tiered” system - marriage for opposite-sex couples and civil unions for gays.

An 11-member commission was set up by the leaders of the Vermont House and Senate, both Democrats, to look into Vermont’s civil unions law to see if it is providing equality for gay and lesbian couples.

It submitted its report to the legislature last April, but made no recommendations on revising the law to allow for same-sex marriage.

On Thursday, Reps. Mark Larson (D) and David Zuckerman (P) introduced legislation to convert civil unions to marriage.

“For me personally it makes sense that we would treat all people the same,” said Larson in filing the bill. The bill has 59 sponsors but it is unclear if that will be enough to ensure passage.
No Republicans have signed on as sponsors, but House GOP Leader Patti Komline has said she would vote for it.

Even if the measure does pass the legislature, Gov. Jim Douglas has said he would veto the bill.
In New Hampshire, more than 100 people turned out for a committee hearing on a gay marriage bill.

The state approved civil unions last year. A same-sex marriage bill was filed this year. One of those appearing before the Judiciary committee was a co-sponsor of the bill - state Rep. Edward Butler who came with his partner, Leslie Schoof.

Butler said that civil unions are unequal.

“We knew that this was accepting a back seat in the bus,” Butler told the committee. “But many of us felt it was a step in the right direction.” Butler went on to say that now is the time to take the next step.

Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson - the first openly gay bishop in the Anglican faith - told lawmakers that same-sex marriage is a matter of fairness.

“Ladies and gentleman of the Judiciary Committee, don’t let the religious opponents to marriage equality you will hear from today and in the days to come make you afraid to do what is right,” Robinson said.

But Rep. Daniel Itse (R) told the committee that civil unions already have cheapened marriage and allowing same-sex couples to wed would result in a rise in out-of-wedlock births.

“Young people now see no need to get married,” Itse said. “It just doesn’t mean anything anymore.”

Gov. John Lynch opposes the bill but has not said if he would veto it should it pass.

Republican lawmakers say they will introduce a bill to constitutionally ban same-sex marriage in the state.

A same-sex marriage bill was introduced in the Maine legislature last month.