Live Free Or Gay

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It’s nice to see a state take their motto seriously. On Tuesday, the New Hampshire state House voted to extend the “right” of civil unions to same-sex couples.
The House voted 243-129 to give same-sex couples the same rights, responsibilities, and obligations as married couples. Same-sex unions from other states would be recognized if they were legal in the state where they were performed.
Supporters pushed a message of equality. "Help our daughters, friends, sons and neighbors live their lives the way I believe we all want to live with the people we love — in peace and dignity," Democratic Rep. Bette Lasky said.
Vermont, New Jersey, Connecticut and California have some form of civil unions. Massachusetts is the only state that currently permits gays to marry. Of course, when the topic of homosexual unions enters into the public debate, you’d expect controversy. New Hampshire is no exception. What’s interesting about those who are opposing the New Hampshire bill is that they’re not throwing out the now-predictable canards about “marriage being reserved for procreation” or “the degradation of the modern family.” Instead, we’re getting opposition from the political right with a twist: they’re saying it doesn’t go far enough for straight people.
Republican Rep. Maureen Mooney, a marriage opponent, turned the equality argument against gay rights activists. She said restricting civil unions to same sex-couples amounted to discrimination against heterosexual couples, roommates and others who might want to share legal benefits as a couple.

“We in New Hampshire will establish ourselves as a leader in caring for all combinations of family relationships,” she said. “I say let’s get to equality today.”
Democrats called it an attempt to confuse the issue.
Mooney’s argument is really quite silly, of course. If heterosexual couples, roommates of the opposite sex and others want to share legal benefits as a couple, they can get fucking married. On the other hand, gays have no such luxury. The stronger argument comes from those who point out the inherent inequality in the idea of civil unions.
"What this bill is, and you can call it whatever you want, is segregation. For the first time in the history of this state, you're writing a gay law that is just for gay people, because apparently gay people are not quite human enough to be included with heterosexuals," said Rep. Mo Baxley, who sponsored a same-sex marriage bill that the committee passed over for civil unions. "No one has come to me and told me that this is the right thing to do. What I have heard is that this is the politically expedient thing to do, and that makes me terribly sad."
The bill now heads to the New Hampshire Senate. If it passes it will land on the desk of Governor John Lynch. Lynch opposes gay marriage but somehow has no opinion of civil unions. Which is a polite way of saying that he’s not going to take a stand until he’s forced to.

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