Badpuppy Gay Today

Wednesday, 07 May 1997

New England, now including New Hampshire, leads as the first region to show an admirable American fairness in its willingness to extend basic civil rights protections to its lesbian and gay citizens. Rhode Island, the most recent state to pass such a civil rights bill, in May, 1995, was preceded by Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Outside In other regions of the United States, Hawaii, California, Minnesota, Wisconsin and New Jersey have also included sexual orientation in their non-discrimination laws.

"This is a historic day for civil liberties in New Hampshire," said Claire Ebel, the executive director of the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union, which lobbied intensely for the measure with the Citizens Alliance for Civil Rights and the New Hampshire Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Rights. "I was so happy I cried."

State Representative Bill McCann (D. Dover) was the primary sponsor who helped draft the bill. He credited the vote to the unusually broad coalition of groups who came out in support of the measure.

The landmark legislation, after passing in a Republican-controlled Senate on Tuesday, now awaits only the signature of Governor Jeanne Shaheen. Shaheen is a Democrat who, because she supported a virtually identical proposal when a state Senator, is expected to sign the bill. The state Senate's vote was 13-9, and the measure will amend New Hampshire's existing civil rights law to protect against discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.

The state's Republican controlled House had already passed the bill by a vote of 205-125 on March 18. "New Hampshire is on the brink of joining the nine states that already treat their gay and lesbian citizens equally," said Elizabeth Birch, the executive director of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

Kerry Lobel, executive director of The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force commended the New Hampshire legislature. NGLTF officials emphasize that "it is encouraging and inspiring that New Hampshire has passed this measure of fairness while lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people in other states are being attacked by divisive legislation in record numbers. The success of local activists in New Hampshire points to the importance of coming out and organizing on the state and local level."

No federal law as yet protects gay men and lesbians if they are discriminated against. Currently there is significant bipartisan support in Congress for a national outlawing of discrimination. ENDA (The Employment Non-Discrimination Act) is expected to be re-introduced to Congress in the spring, after its loss last year by only one vote. The White House has held strategy meetings to assure its passage, and has publicly announced its support.

Presently, one other New England state, Maine, is considering a gay/lesbian civil rights bill to protect its citizens. In the West, Oregon is also currently considering legislation to outlaw employment discrimination.