New Hampshire legislators advance gay marriage bill; fate now hinges on House

New Hampshire Legislature advances gay marriage

CONCORD, N.H. — The New Hampshire Senate has passed revised gay marriage legislation and sent it to the House.

If it passes there, Gov. John Lynch is expected to sign it into law later Wednesday. It would make New Hampshire the sixth state to allow gays to marry.

The bill would expand religious protections that Lynch says are needed to win his signature.

Lynch said he would veto gay marriage if the law didn’t clearly spell out that churches and religious groups would not be forced to officiate or provide other services.

Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont and Iowa allow gay marriage. Maine opponents hope to overturn that state’s law with a public vote.