|
-
NH
resident and Iraq vet Craig Stowell launched campaign on Change.org urging New
Hampshire state legislature to oppose repeal of same-sex
marriage
-
NH
legislature to take up repeal bill on Wednesday as 120,000 people sign
Stowell's petition
CONCORD,
NH -
As the New Hampshire state legislature prepares for a vote on the repeal of the
state's same-sex marriage law on Wednesday, more than 120,000 people across the
country have joined a popular
campaign on Change.org
started by a conservative Iraq veteran from Claremont. The campaign urges the
New Hampshire state legislature to defend the freedom to marry for all
couples.
Craig
Stowell, a former Marine and co-chair of Standing Up For New Hampshire Families,
is leading the campaign
on Change.org
urging New Hampshire state legislators to oppose H.B. 437, a bill to repeal
same-sex marriage that legislators will vote on Wednesday, March 21. Craig
started the
campaign
for his openly gay brother, Calvin, who he calls his best friend.
I
started this campaign for one simple reason, so that my brother and best friend,
Calvin, can have the freedom to marry the person he loves, said Stowell. We
only have days left to ensure that this mean-spirited attack does not deny
thousands of Granite State residents the ability to protect and provide for
their families.
An
overwhelming majority of New Hampshire voters of all political backgrounds agree
that it's time for Concord to start focusing on the economy and jobs, and stop
the blind-sided attacks on hard-working, committed families, Stowell
added.
Recent
polls have shown that New Hampshire residents overwhelmingly support the freedom
to marry for same-sex couples, with a poll from the University of New Hampshire
Survey Center showing support at 59 percent. New Hampshire became the sixth
state in the nation to extend marriage to gay and lesbian couples when the law
went into effect on January 1, 2010.
Stowell
launched his campaign
on Change.org in January as legislators in New Hampshire announced they would try to repeal
the state's same-sex marriage law.
Craig's campaign has resonated not only with thousands of New Hampshire residents, but with more
than 120,000 people across the country, said Mark Anthony Dingbaum, campaign
manager at Change.org. Craig won't stop defending his brother, and his campaign
is inspiring thousands of others to stand up for the people they love as
well.
Live
signature totals from Craig Stowell's campaign on Change.org:
http://www.change.org/petitions/new-hampshire-state-legislators-dont-repeal-the-freedom-to-marry
CNN.com
coverage of Craig Stowell's campaign on Change.org:
http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/12/marine-fights-for-gay-brothers-right-to-marry/
Journalists
interested in contacting New Hampshire state house leadership should
try:
Rep.
William OBrien, Speaker, New Hampshire House of
Representatives
william.obrien@leg.state.nh.us
(603)
271-3661
Rep.
DJ Bettencourt, Majority Leader, New Hampshire House of
Representatives
betts24@gmail.com
(603)
271-3665
Rep.
David Bates, Sponsor, Marriage repeal bill (H.B. 437)
rep.bates@live.com
(603)
271-3319
Quotes
from New Hampshire residents signing Craig Stowell's campaign on
Change.org:
"My
son Kyle is gay, but that's the least interesting thing about him. He is a Yale
student with a 3.9 average who is fluent in Middle Egyptian and three other
languages; as a high school student he helped pass a NH resolution to use green
bags instead of paper/plastic; he runs a children's theater group in CT for
underserved kids; he competes in ballroom dance. Kyle is the smartest person I
know, yet if this repeal passes, he will be a second-class citizen in the state
where he grew up. He won't choose to live his adult life here, because he'll
feel discriminated against. Surely this isn't how the state wants to treat some
of its best and its brightest young people?" - Jodi Picoult, Hanover,
NH
I
am married. My wife and I have been together for almost 20 years. Should I tell
my children that the state has decided, once again, that their other mother
doesn't have any legal right to her family and home? I wonder what kind of
impact that will have on family values?
- Theresa Robertson, Concord, NH
"I
was raised by a lesbian and I came out a good person. No one should have the
right to tell someone who they can marry." - Ryan Bourassa, Nashua,
NH
"I
am the mother of two young boys, and an auntie to 12 nieces and nephews. I have
lived in NH most of my 40 years. I am heterosexual and married to the man I
love. To me it is quite simple. All I have to do is look at my children and my
nieces and nephews to know that if any of them is gay, then I would want them to
have the same rights as heterosexuals. I want my children to grow up proud of
who they are and not feel the pain of prejudice. I am a practicing Catholic and
I believe in equality for EVERYONE." - Maureen DiOrio, Concord,
NH
"I
am signing as a teacher who has the privilege of teaching my students about our
country's history, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Denying rights for
such a superficial reason runs counter to all they understand about their
country. I am also signing as a close friend to many gay and lesbian couples,
married and wishing to marry. And finally, I am signing as the mother of a young
gay man who is in a caring relationship." - Deborah Bacon Nelson, Hanover,
NH
"Equal
rights for all. Not to mention this bill is a waste of my tax dollars. Try
fixing the state budget and spend the time and energy on real issues!" - Anthony
Piacenza, Manchester, NH
"Elected
Officials of the State of NH---hear us now. Economy. Education. Employment.
These are the things your residents are concerned with. Why are you wasting time
and energy trying to resuscitate this proverbial lifeless equine? We as a
society do not have the power to mandate whom someone should marry so,
conversely, we do not have the power to mandate whom someone CANNOT marry.
Attempting to legislate these things is arrogant and wrong and Im ashamed of
this effort. All eyes are on us, guys...we can show the rest of the nation how
this is supposed to be done. Stop using gay marriage as a political agenda item
and get back to the real issues at hand." - Brenda LeClaire, Manchester,
NH
"New
Hampshire prides itself on being first in the nation for the electoral primary.
While we were not the absolute first state to legalize marriage between any
loving couple, regardless the individuals' gender, we should nevertheless feel
proud to be among the front runners of freedom in this legal struggle against
discrimination, homophobia, and hatred. Upholding the current legislation, and
allowing all loving couples the freedom to pursue the happiness of marital
domesticity, is part and parcel of the core values of this nation. It is part of
our state's motto: Let us, be we straight, be we gay, be we bisexual, be we
male, be we female, retain the right to live free to marry whom we would." -
Andrew McKernan, Dover, NH
"No
one has the right to tell others who they can love. All should share in equal
rights. I am a strong support of the Freedom To Marry." - Linda Campbell, Salem,
NH
"The
government should stay out of the personal lives of its citizens and allow equal
rights and treatment to all persons." - Dr. Warren Schwartz, Concord,
NH
"Marriage
in the eyes of the state is a right that must be available to all if we are to
'live free'. So too is the right under the law of any religious organization to
recognize/bless or not recognize/bless such a union. It is the responsibility of
our government to protect these fundamental rights - and to ensure that they are
separate and distinct from each other." - Kathryn Saunders, Portsmouth,
NH
"I've
lived in NH all my life, and I've always been proud to live here. I'm signing so
I can continue to say I'm a proud citizen of New Hampshire. Don't repeal the
law!" - Angela Messier, Nashua, NH
New
Hampshire took a great step forward with its marriage equality law. Reversing
that would be a grievous mistake and would be detrimental to countless
families. - Zachary Higham, Concord, NH
Contact
information
for petition
signers
in your area can be arranged
upon
request:
Mike
Jones
Deputy
Campaign Director, Change.org
press@change.org
(202)
684-2552
For
more information on Craig Stowells group, Standing Up for New Hampshire
Families, please visit:
http://action.standingupfornhfamilies.org/Craig
Standing
Up for New Hampshire Families is a bipartisan group of citizens, business
owners, people of faith, and civic leaders who oppose repealing the popular 2009
law allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry. Lew Feldstein, former president
and chief executive officer of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, and
Craig Stowell, a former Marine who served in Iraq, serve as
co-chairs.
For
more information on Change.org, please visit:
http://www.change.org/about
Change.org
is the world's fastest-growing platform for social change - growing by one
million new members a month, and empowering millions of people to start, join,
and win campaigns for social change in their community, city and
country.
 Share on Facebook
 Share on Delicious
 Share on StumbleUpon!
|
![[Valid RSS]](images/valid-rss.png "Validate my RSS feed"){kind=small}
post your own information on
http://sgn.org/rss.xml | what is RSS? | 
use Google to set up your RSS feed