The new year brought a new era in New Hampshire.
Some of us ushered in 2010 — the start of a new year and a new decade — with noisemakers, bubbly champagne and hearty attempts to remember the lyrics to “Auld Lang Syne.”
Some of us ushered in 2010 lounging on the couch watching the live coverage from Times Square and, later, LSU take on Penn State.
But some New Hampshire same-sex couples did not mark the start of the new year in typical fashion. With the arrival of the new year, the first same-sex couples legally married in the Granite State.
New Hampshire lawmakers passed marriage equality legislation in 2009, expanding upon rights already extended to same-sex couples through civil unions legislation in 2008. The marriage law took effect Jan. 1, making New Hampshire the fifth state to issue marriage licenses — legal marriage licenses — to same-sex couples.
By late December, about 40 couples had applied to their town clerks for licenses. Many more couples are expected to apply for licenses this year, and, in 2011, the more than 700 civil unions in the state will automatically be updated to marriages.
By Lisa Neff, columnist, 365gay.com
01.04.2010 8:31am EST
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