Austria passes civil union law
Austria will allow same-sex couples to access some of the rights of marriage not related to procreation.
Tags: Austria, Civil Law, Civil Union Law, marriage, Procreation, Same Sex CouplesSame-sex marriage is all up to Gov. Lynch in New Hampshire
Gov. John Lynch is facing “a vote of conscience” on whether to allow gay marriage in New Hampshire.
That’s the assessment of Andy Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, who said he does not believe the popular governor will be hurt politically no matter what his decision.
The House passed the gay marriage bill Wednesday, paving the way for it to land on Lynch’s desk. He has three choices facing him: He can veto the bill, sign it or allow it to become law without his signature.
He has stated publicly he believes the state’s civil union law passed in 2007 provides all the legality needed for gay couples and he doesn’t personally support gay marriage. He has also said he has not made up his mind as governor how he will come down on the issue.
No matter what his decision, said Smith, he’ll be just fine.
“He’s not in a position where it matters to him electorally. He’s got a 70-percent approval rating. He can say whatever. He’s got his own independent political machine that’s outside the Democratic party,” he said. “If he signs it, the Republicans will gripe, but they have never been able to field a credible candidate against him. If he vetoes it, the Democrats are still going to vote for him (in 2010).”
Smith said the votes in the House and the Senate — 178-167 and 13-11, respectively — are not dissimilar to state residents’ feeling on the issue. In the most recent poll conducted by the center, 55 percent favored gay marriage and 39 opposed it. The latter number has trended down slightly since the center started polling several years ago, he said. Initially, 42 percent were in opposition. See Same-sex marriage is all up to lynch
Seacoastonline.com * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
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Questions Remain Over Same-Sex Marriage Bill
CONCORD, N.H. — A day after the New Hampshire House passed a bill approving same-sex marriage in the state, questions remain about the impact the law would have on the Granite State.
Extended Video: Gov. Lynch On Gay Marriage Bill Decision
Once the bill reaches Gov. John Lynch’s desk, he has five days to decide what to do with it. Lynch hasn’t given an indication what his plans are.
State Rep. Jim Splaine, D-Portsmouth, the author of both the civil union law and the same-sex marriage bill, conceded that currently there is little difference between the two in the eyes of the federal government.
“Any state which has same-gendered couples under civil unions cannot qualify for the 1,100 or so benefits of federal law,” Splaine said.
Those benefits range from survivor benefits to joint tax filings. But Splaine said he hopes that if the federal government considers the recognition of marriage between same-sex couples, New Hampshire will have made an important preemptive move.
“Very much so, and I think by adopting civil marriages and religious marriages, it encourages the federal government to make that move,” Splaine said.
But there is still considerable concern for some regarding the language of the bill. Under the religious marriage section, it protects churches and clergy members who choose not to perform the ceremony. See Questions Remain Over Same-Sex Marriage Bill
WMUR * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
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Signing of gay marriage law changes the game at schools
The gay marriage bill signed into law by Gov. Jodi Rell on Thursday eliminates an 18-year-old provision that prevents schools from portraying homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle, but legislators said the new measure is much to do about nothing.
State Sen. Andrew McDonald, D-27, said the new bill does away with language that can be construed as demeaning to gays from a 1991 equal rights act and is not a demand for schools to promote homosexuality.
“It doesn’t require it to be taught and it doesn’t say it can’t be taught,” he said.
The bill– which legislators said is a compromise between gay marriage opponents and supporters– comes six months after the high court ruled 4-3 that same-sex couples have the right to wed in Connecticut, rather than accept a 2005 civil union law designed to give them the same rights as married couples.
“My position is that religious liberties, as a fundamental right and a First Amendment right, are so important that we need to address any concerns of any group,” said State Rep. Bruce Morris, D-140.
In an effort to appease some gay marriage foes, lawmakers amended the bill to show they want to protect religious liberties. For example, it says religious organizations and associations are not required to provide services, goods or facilities for same-sex wedding ceremonies.
Many groups feared that the bill would somehow force schools to teach about homosexuality in sex education courses and limit parental control over the matter.
Parents can already prevent their children from participating in a sexual education course, even if the course does not teach about homosexuality, McDonald said.
Connecticut’s education statutes allot parents the right to give their children written permission exempting them from “family life education programs,” courses which would likely include any lessons on homosexuality and gay marriage.
“Some of the religious organizations had an issue with the fact that a child wouldn’t have a choice but to sit and listen (to a lesson on homosexuality) in sex ed.,” said state Rep. Chris Perone, D-137. “The statute puts some of the control back into the parents hands.” See Signing of gay marriage law changes the game at schools
The Hour - Norwalk,CT,USA
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NH Senate takes up marriage bill
(Concord, New Hampshire) The New Hampshire Senate this week will hold public hearings on a bill that would amend the state’s same-sex civil union law to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry.
So many people are expected to attend the hearings the Senate has moved Wednesday’s meeting to a larger …
Tags: Civil Union Law, Concord New Hampshire, Gay And Lesbian Couples, Hampshire Senate, marriage, Marriage Bill, Nh Senate, Public Hearings, Senate BillConn. bill would update gay marriage law
(Hartford, Connecticut) Connecticut lawmakers are considering an update to state law to conform with a court ruling that allows same-sex marriage.
The legislators’ work is spurred by last year’s state Supreme Court decision that concluded same-sex couples have the right to wed in Connecticut. The state’s 2005 civil union law doesn’t …
Tags: Civil Law, Civil Union Law, Conn, Connecticut Connecticut, gay marriage, Hartford Connecticut, Lawmakers, Legislators, marriage, Marriage Law, Same Sex Couples, same sex marriage, Sex Work, State Supreme Court, Supreme Court DecisionVT Hearings to start March 16 on gay marriage
BENNINGTON — Legislative leaders said Thursday that they will move quickly to pass gay marriage legislation, beginning hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 16 — the day the Legislature reconvenes following the Town Meeting break.
The announcement came at a Statehouse press conference hosted by Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin, D-Windham, and House Speaker Shap Smith, D-Morristown, as they outlined an aggressive agenda for the remainder of the legislative session.
Shumlin, who served as Senate president in 2000, when Vermont became the first state to pass civil union legislation, said Thursday he was proud of the state at the time for taking such a momentous step. But his “pride has given way to uneasiness,” he said, as other states have since bypassed Vermont and have allowed gay marriage.
“Vermont is no longer alone, and we’re no longer leading. Here in Vermont, people’s fears in connection with the civil union law have proven unfounded,” he said. “Nobody was harmed, some families enjoy a little more security, and our state is a better place for having taken that step.”
See Hearings to start March 16 on gay marriage
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Conn. bill would update law for same-sex marriages
HARTFORD, Conn. — As Connecticut lawmakers consider updating state law to conform with a court ruling that allows same-sex marriages, opponents of gay marriage fear their effort will go too far to promote homosexuality.
The legislators’ work is being spurred by last year’s state Supreme Court decision that concluded same-sex couples have the right to wed in Connecticut. The state’s 2005 civil union law doesn’t give same-sex couples equal status of married heterosexual couples, the court said.
The General Assembly’s judiciary committee is considering a bill that would remove gender references in current state laws and transform same-sex civil unions into legally recognized marriages as of October 2010. The bill was the subject of a committee hearing Friday.
The measure also would strip language from a 1991 state anti-discrimination law that says Connecticut does not condone gay marriage, will not set quotas for hiring gay workers or encourage teaching in school about same-sex lifestyles. Some lawmakers consider the language outdated and unnecessary.
The proposal to delete that language has upset opponents, who think the court ruling could be used to affect social policy in other matters such as school curricula. See Conn. bill would update law for same-sex marriages * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
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In New Jersey, Push for Gay Marriage Meets Election Concerns
NEW JERSEY has never appeared so close to — and yet so far from — enacting gay marriage.
Gov. Jon S. Corzine; Richard J. Codey, the State Senate president; and Joseph J. Roberts Jr., leader of the Democratic-controlled Assembly, have all recently stated publicly that gay marriage is an idea whose time has come. Echoing the sentiments of a state commission report released last month, some state officials said that civil unions — the closest thing to marriage available to gay couples in the state — were woefully inadequate and that the legalization of gay marriage in New Jersey was not a matter of “if” but “when.”
But with the governor and all 80 members of the Assembly up for re-election in November, most of the officials say the “when” may not be for some time.
The New Jersey Civil Union Review Commission, a 13-member panel convened to evaluate the impact of the state’s 2006 civil union law, in its final report last month, called on the state to legalize same-sex marriage after finding that civil unions did not result in equal treatment. Likening the prohibition against gay couples marrying to the racial segregation laws imposed upon black Americans, the commission said hospitals were reluctant to recognize civil unions when it came to visitation rights, employers did not always extend health benefits to both partners, and the children of such unions were stigmatized.
Massachusetts and Connecticut are currently the only states that allow gay couples to marry, and in both instances the issue was decided by the courts rather than the legislatures. California was in that category until November, when gay marriage was overturned by voters.
Mr. Goldstein says his organization has been lobbying to get a measure passed.
“We are very, very close,” he said. “Do I believe we have the votes yet? It depends on how you count them. Even under our very conservative vote counts, we’re very close.”
While the governor had asked state lawmakers to refrain from raising the issue during the presidential election, for fear that it would sidetrack voters, he is now encouraging lawmakers to seriously review the commission’s report.
“While this administration is focused squarely on the economic crisis for the foreseeable future, it’s clear that this issue of civil rights must be addressed sooner rather than later,” Mr. Corzine said in a statement.
The governor promised to sign marriage-equality legislation when it reaches his desk. The question is whether state lawmakers will present him with the opportunity. “Politics will play a role in whether it actually gets posted to a committee,” said Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, a Democrat from Princeton and the deputy majority leader, who sponsored a gay marriage bill. “With the Assembly up this November, there will be a lot of members unlikely to get involved with such a polarizing issue.”
See Push for Gay Marriage Meets Election Concerns
New York Times, United States
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NY Timed Editorial: Civil Unions are “Separate and Not Equal”
Civil unions are an inadequate substitute for marriage. Creating a separate, new legal structure to confer some benefits on same-sex couples neither honors American ideals of fairness, nor does it grant true equality. The results are clearly visible in New Jersey, which continues to deny same-sex couples some of the tangible civil benefits that come with marriage.
Gov. Jon Corzine of New Jersey has long said that he would sign a measure granting the right to marry to couples of the same sex. We are heartened that he has declared that that should happen sooner rather than later.
We hope Mr. Corzine intends to prod legislators into passing such a law early in the 2009 session. That would make New Jersey the first state to legalize marriage for same-sex couples through legislative action. Three other states — Connecticut, Massachusetts and California — have done so through the courts. Unfortunately, California voters approved a ballot measure in November rescinding that right, at least for now.
Mr. Corzine made his statement after a state commission released its final report on New Jersey’s two-year-old civil union law. The commission noted the hurt and stigma inflicted by shutting out gay people from the institution of marriage. It also found that civil unions do not assure gay couples of the same protections, including the right to collect benefits under a partner’s health insurance program and to make medical decisions on behalf of a partner who is unable to do so. The panel concluded unanimously that the state should enact a law to remove the inequities.
We regret that the leaders of the state’s Democratic-controlled Legislature do not view this issue with the same urgency. Senate President Richard Codey, for instance, said recently that progress in civil rights areas “is typically achieved in incremental steps.” We suspect that political expedience is clouding Mr. Codey’s sense of fairness. Next year in New Jersey, the governorship and all seats in the Assembly are up for grabs in an election. Some Republicans already are talking about making their opposition to same-sex marriage a campaign issue.
Governor Corzine typically takes the right side on important issues, but he has been known to retreat in the face of opposition. We hope that’s not the case here. It’s past time for him and for the Democrats in Trenton to find the political courage to extend the right to marry to gay couples.
See Separate and Not Equal
New York Times, United States
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