|
|
Article: Ho-hum civil union rights
- Article from:
- The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
- Article date:
- January 3, 2008
|
Copyright informationCopyright 2008 The Boston Globe. (Hide copyright information)
|
WHEN VERMONT legislators legalized civil unions for gay couples
in 2000, there was a bitter backlash against the reform. But on New
Year's Day, New Hampshire joined Vermont, Connecticut, and New
Jersey in extending civil union rights to gay and lesbian couples,
and the event was met with a collective yawn. There are several
reasons for this change, but the most important is that residents of
New Hampshire have had a chance to observe Vermont and Connecticut's
civil unions and Massachusetts' same-sex marriage, and realized that
extending rights to a minority is no threat to the majority - or to
the institution of marriage.
Not too many years ago, the fiery conservatism of the Manchester ...