Governor John Lynch just signed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in New Hampshire. The bill passed the NH legislature and was signed shortly after. This is actually the second bill, Lynch would not sign the bill unless the bill’s language was made more explicit to allow churches to refuse to marry same-sex couples (this is already guaranteed by the 1st Amendment).
“Today, we’re standing up for the liberties of same-sex couples by making clear they will receive the same rights, responsibilities, and respect under New Hampshire law,” Lynch said before signing the bill at about 5:20 p.m.
Lynch said it was a New Hampshire tradition “to come down on the side of individual liberties and protections, and that tradition continues today.”
The other five states where same-sex marriage is legal are Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, Connecticut and Iowa.