New Hampshire legislators and other activists in favor of amending the New Hampshire Anti-Discrimination Law to protect the rights of gays, lesbians and bisexuals spoke to a crowd of students, faculty and area residents in a Dartmouth Hall presentation last night.
The participants in the "rally" were gathering to support the New Hampshire Coalition to End Discrimination and its efforts to amend the New Hampshire Anti-Discrimination Law.
The Coalition's goal is to change the law so that it prohibits discrimination in the areas of housing, employment, public accommodations and access to credit on the basis of sexual orientation.
The law currently forbids discrimination on such grounds as race, color, religion and sex.
Legislator William McCann of Dover is the sponsor of the amendment. He called the bill "one of the most important pieces of legislation that will be before the legislature this year."
"The intent of this legislation is to provide basic human rights to all our citizens," McCann said. "The bill brings to fruition the promises guaranteed in our Declaration of Independence and Constitution."
Republican Representative Thomas Houlihan of New London agreed this legislation is essential.
"There is really no doubt in my mind that this legislation is necessary," Houlihan said. "Civil rights protection is about unpopular groups of people. If I get banged around a little bit on this, that's fine."
"Denying someone the right to earn a living, for reasons other than their competence, is a pretty serious violation of the New Hampshire tradition. Discrimination is not the New Hampshire way," he added.
Vynnie Hale of Manchester offered his personal story "to prove that discrimination does exist in New Hampshire." He first experienced discrimination in 1980 as a state employee working with the mentally disabled, he said.
"Several openly gay employees and employees perceived to be gay by others became victims of a witch hunt by the administration," Hale said. "It is not only okay to discriminate in New Hampshire, it is legal."
Democrat Representative Clifton Below said he supported the bill and added that he would also like to see an end to discrimination based on "genetic circumstances."
The event was co-sponsored by the Coalition for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Concerns and the Dartmouth Area Gay and Lesbian Organization..
Democrat Marion Copenhaver, a New Hampshire State Representative from Etna, moderated the event.
