New Hampshire legalizes same-sex marriage

The state becomes the sixth to allow same-sex couples to wed

Published June 3, 2009 8:40PM (EDT)

At some point either Wednesday or Thursday, New Hampshire will, barring a major surprise, become the sixth state in the Union to allow same-sex marriage.

Both houses of the state's legislature voted Wednesday in favor of a bill legalizing gay marriages. The Senate, which voted first, went 14-10 in favor of the law. The House followed, approving the measure 198-176.

Gov. John Lynch is expected to sign the bill. He'd demanded changes to the law as originally written, threatening a veto unless it stated explicitly that religious groups would not be forced to perform same-sex marriages. Those changes were part of the package approved by the legislature.

Update: As expected, Lynch has signed the bill, and same-sex marriage will officially become legal in New Hampshire on Jan. 1.


By Alex Koppelman

Alex Koppelman is a staff writer for Salon.

MORE FROM Alex Koppelman


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

War Room