Wednesday, May 06, 2009



Crunch time on same-sex marriage

The push for marriage equality in the US has really taken off in the last week. Today, the Maine state legislature approved a same-sex marriage bill, while the Washington DC City Council voted to recognise same-sex marriages celebrated in other states. Both moves are subject to a veto - one by the Governor of Maine, the other by the US Congress - but with both dominated by Democrats, the chances are good that the laws will pass. And in Maine's case, the vote seems veto-proof (take that, bigots!).

Meanwhile, the clock is running down on New Hampshire's same-sex marriage law, and it will become law today or tomorrow unless vetoed. Again, the Governor is a Democrat who has publicly stated that he opposes same-sex marriage (the "separate-but-equal" half-way house of New Hampshire's domestic partnership law apparently being enough) - and its very uncertain. But if he vetoes it, then he is likely to face severe political consequences from his own party for doing so.

Correction: Looks like I got it wrong on New Hampshire - I thought the bill had been passed, but in fact it won't receive its final approval until tomorrow, after which the Governor must either veto it within five days or it becomes law. So, another week of waiting then...