It looks like the near-term prospects for gay marriage in New Hampshire are zero. 'Tis a pity. They are even recommending against domestic partner registration.
As I have written previously, I am against any law that requires private people and businesses to deal with people they don't want to deal with. However, I am absolutely in favor of forcing the government to deal with all citizens equally. If heterosexuals can enter a legal union, so should homosexuals be able to.
It seems sort of odd that this news comes out on the day after Rosa Parks' death. Now there was a woman who was able to stand up against Jim Crow laws, which not only allowed discrimination against African-Americans, but mandated it. The marriage laws in most states now mandate government discrimination against homosexuals, yet the gay rights lobbies are more concerned with stamping out discrimination in the private sphere.
I do hope that, however the upcoming referendum on gay rights turns out in Maine, it will be decided by a great margin so we won't be faced with another referendum in a few years. The real work of fostering tolerance, acceptance and affirmation of gays in Maine is going undone as long as the theatre-politics continues to be practiced.
Peace,
Tor
Categories: gay, Maine, politics, marriage, obituaries
Technorati tags: Rosa Parks, gay marriage, gay rights, New Hampshire
