Gay Marriage Leaps Ahead in Maine, New Hampshire

Maine Gov. John Baldacci signs a gay rights marriage bill in his office at the State House in Augusta, Maine, today.

(Pat Wellenbach/AP Photo)

New England states signaled an increasing willingness to sanction gay marriage on Wednesday as Maine legalized the practice and the New Hampshire Legislature voted to do the same.

If New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch signs the bill or lets it become law without his signature, his state would become the sixth overall to allow gay marriage and the fifth in New England. Rhode Island would be the only state in the region without such a law.

Maine Gov. John Baldacci, a Democrat who hadn't indicated how he would handle his state's bill, signed it shortly after the legislation passed the Senate on a vote of 21-13 — a margin not large enough to override a veto.

"In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions," Baldacci said in a statement read in his office. "I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage."

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Lynch, also a Democrat, remained uncommitted but has said he believes the word "marriage" should be reserved for unions of a man and a woman.

"I'm going to talk to legislators and I'm going to talk to the people of New Hampshire and ultimately make the best decision I can for the people of New Hampshire," the governor said Wednesday evening.

The New Hampshire bill squeaked through on a 178-167 vote after an hour of debate. Both chambers appear to be far short of enough votes to override a veto.

Rep. David Pierce, who has two daughters with his partner, described telling his 5-year-old that "some people don't believe we should be a family."

"When my kids grow up and are old enough to understand what we're doing here today, I want them to know I did everything I could to fight for our family," said Pierce, D-Hanover.

Maine's bill authorizes marriage between any two people rather than between one man and one woman, as state law currently allows. The House had passed the bill Tuesday.