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Effective January 1, 2008, New Hampshire has cleared the way for gay and lesbian couples to enter into Civil Unions. Gay couples waited outside the Statehouse to ring in the New Year with a Civil Union, despite the freezing cold. The AP interviewed Julie Bernier who says, “We've been together 20 years; we've been waiting for this moment for 20 years; finally the state will recognize us as we are.”
New Hampshire’s Democrat-heavy Legislature and Democratic Governor John Lynch signed the legislation that gives same-sex couples the same rights as a traditional married couple would have.
The first couple in line were John Davey and Mark Brodeur. They two have been together for ten years and had previously exchanged vows at a commitment ceremony. This was their first chance to attain a civil union. Davey says, “That was just for to say that we loved each other, that we're committed.”
New Hampshire is the fourth state to enact such a law.
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