New Hampshire's Year-Old Gay Marriage Law Under Threat

New Hampshire's year-old gay marriage law is under threat of being repealed.

The Republican wave that hit much of the nation on November 2 swamped the New Hampshire Legislature, giving the GOP veto-proof majorities in both houses, and several GOP lawmakers are ready to end the gay marriage law legalized by Democrats.

Lawmakers are considering two bills, the Nashua Telegraph reported. One would revert marriage to civil unions for gay and lesbian couples. A second bill seeks to place an amendment defining marriage as a heterosexual union in the New Hampshire Constitution.

The leaders of the House and Senate denied that ending the state's gay marriage law is a top priority, but other lawmakers sounded eager to act.

“I think we have the votes (to repeal),” Rep. Leo Pepino, a Manchester Republican, recently said. “We have a lot of really good conservatives and a good conservative doesn't believe in gay marriage. … It's a matter of ethics.”

And while Democratic Governor John Lynch, who signed the bill into law, won re-election, the new GOP super majority leaves him out of the debate.

The National Organization for Marriage (NOM), the nation's most vociferous opponent of gay marriage, had targeted Lynch for ouster in a $425,000 television and radio campaign that focused on the governor's decision to sign the gay marriage bill into law.

“In New Hampshire, we flipped the state legislature,” Brian Brown, the group's president, said in a post-election blog post. “And not only flipped it, but it now looks like we have veto proof majorities in both legislative houses.”

“We will now fight for a vote on a constitutional amendment and a repeal of same-sex marriage in New Hampshire. And we look forward to the legislature overriding any veto that John Lynch might attempt.”

Some social conservatives who oppose the law, however, have warned the party not to make repeal a priority.

“I've cautioned a number of newly elected officials not to make social issues the number-one priority because they'll end up doing what the Democratic legislators did, over-play their hand,” Kevin Smith, president of Cornerstone Action, told the Union Leader.