At the Mercy of the New Hampshire Governor

I hate moments like this. Now that the New Hampshire Senate has narrowly passed a same-sex marriage bill on a 13-11 vote, the fate of our equality in the Live Free Or Die state rests with Governor Jim Lynch, an opponent of same-sex marriage.

It blows my mind that we have politicians in a 21st century America who are outspoken opponents of this very basic human right: to marry the one we love. At some point in time, we the people, and the politicians whom we have elected, will look back on this era and shudder at the collective ignorance, the biases, and in many cases, the hatred of people who don't fit the (thankfully, shrinking) majority definition of normal.

So while I am thrilled with the New Hampshire House and Senate votes, I am less than ecstatic with the narrow margin in the Senate, and I am appalled at the attitude of Governor Lynch.

Even if he decides to sign the bill into law, or allows it to become law without his signature, all is still not well in the Granite State. While I applaud the Senate for passage of a medical marijuana bill, I must hang my head in shame for their attitudes towards transgender people who are not deemed worthy of protection from discrimination.

Same-sex marriage was among several contentious bills that the Senate took up Wednesday, all passed by the House in recent weeks. One, a measure to allow people with certain illnesses to possess marijuana for medical purposes, passed in a vote of 14 to 10. But the Senate voted unanimously against a bill that would guarantee transgender people protection from discrimination in housing and employment. It also put off action on a bill to repeal the death penalty.