Same-Sex Marriage Bills Gain Ground in New England, to Become "Marriage Equality Zone"

The states of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine each moved closer this week to becoming the next New England state to recognize same-sex marriages after Massachusetts and Connecticut.

NEW HAMPSHIRE - The AP reported on Thursday March 26 that the New Hampshire House has voted 186-179 in favor of recognizing the right of same-sex couples to marry. The bill now moves to the New Hampshire Senate, where its future is uncertain.

Democratic Gov. John Lynch has said he opposes gay marriage, but hasn't said whether he would veto the legislation if it made it to his desk. Two years ago, New Hampshire gave gay couples the right to enter into civil unions.

According to the AP, the first attempt to pass the gay marriage bill in New Hampshire fell one vote short in the House, but opponents were unable to kill it. The House then reconsidered and passed the measure Thursday.

VERMONT - Vermont, the first state in the Nation to succesfully (cf. Hawaii) introduce civil-union legislation back in the 1990s, voted Monday March 23 on a bill to recognize same-sex marriage equality in the state. The marriage bill, which passed the Vermont Senate by an overwhelming majority vote of 26-4, now heads to the Vermont House for a vote in the coming days.

Republican Governor Jim Douglas has said he disagrees with the bill, and has expressed his intention to veto the bill if given the chance. The bill would require a 2/3 majority vote in both the Senate and the House in order to survive the Governor's veto.

If the bill becomes law, Vermont will become the first state to legalize same-sex marriage without being forced to do so by the courts.

MAINE & RHODE ISLAND - Next month Maine lawmakers plan to hold a legislative panel for the purposes of hearing a bill to recognize same-sex marriage, just as Rhode Island did back in February.

Nationwide, only the states of Connecticut and Massachusetts allow gay couples to marry.