The New Hampshire House of Representatives  followed in the footsteps in the Senate approving an ammended gay marriage bill by a margin of 178-167.

The bill now goes to to the desk of Governor John Lynch, who has  said previously that the word marriage should be reserved only for a union between a man and a woman.

Governor Lynch from the Union Leader:

“I have a responsibility as governor to do what I think is best for the people of New Hampshire. I will continue to talk with the Legislature and with the people of New Hampshire about that bill.”
…

“We have been flooded with calls. People can’t even get through. The phone lines are basically jammed … I’m not going to be guided by the numbers of calls that come into the office. That will not have an impact on my decision.”

Add your voice to the flood by calling Governor Lynch’s office  at 603-271-2121.

While we wait for the New Hampshire vote to come in, watch this extremely cute but exceptionally profane video that sends a clear message to all the haters out there… Grab the headphones though cause the audio is totally NSFW.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuDJmVkPYpw[/youtube]

Main Governor Baldacci has signed LD 1020 granting marriage equality to all Maine citizens. From the Bangor Daily News:

[Governor] Baldacci made his announcement within an hour of the Maine Senate giving its final approval to LD 1020. The Senate voted 21-13 in favor of the measure after a short debate.

The House of Representatives gave its approval on a 89-57 vote Tuesday.

The proposal would make Maine the fifth state to allow gay marriage.

The following statement was released after Baldacci signed the bill:

“I have followed closely the debate on this issue. I have listened to both sides, as they have presented their arguments during the public hearing and on the floor of the Maine Senate and the House of Representatives. I have read many of the notes and letters sent to my office, and I have weighed my decision carefully,” Governor Baldacci said. “I did not come to this decision lightly or in haste.”

“I appreciate the tone brought to this debate by both sides of the issue,” Governor Baldacci said. “This is an emotional issue that touches deeply many of our most important ideals and traditions. There are good, earnest and honest people on both sides of the question.”

“In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions,” Governor Baldacci said. “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.”

“Article I in the Maine Constitution states that ‘no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor be denied the equal protection of the laws, nor be denied the enjoyment of that person’s civil rights or be discriminated against.’”

“This new law does not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of its beliefs. It does not require the church to perform any ceremony with which it disagrees. Instead, it reaffirms the separation of Church and State,” Governor Baldacci said.

“It guarantees that Maine citizens will be treated equally under Maine’s civil marriage laws, and that is the responsibility of government.”

“Even as I sign this important legislation into law, I recognize that this may not be the final word,” Governor Baldacci said. “Just as the Maine Constitution demands that all people are treated equally under the law, it also guarantees that the ultimate political power in the State belongs to the people.”

“While the good and just people of Maine may determine this issue, my responsibility is to uphold the Constitution and do, as best as possible, what is right. I believe that signing this legislation is the right thing to do,” Governor Baldacci said.

Welcome to the party Maine! Come on California… we’re next!

A break from your regularly scheduled programming…

When the pretty faces of the new Star Trek film were announced last year this Trekker (not Trekkie….HUGE difference) was filled with an overwhelming sense of dread. First, that the corpse of the franchise was not sufficiently cold, and it was far too soon to extract its Katra from the ashes that were the last seasons of Voyager, Enterprise, and the most recent films. I also feared that the old fans would be hung out to dry, as this new youthful and nubile crew cavorted across the stars in some slicked up hotrod of a starship with a license plate reading NCC-90210. Perhaps a more apt name for this new chapter in the Star Trek universe would be something more along the lines of Dawson’s Trek or One True Klingon.

The early trailers did nothing to soothe the sinking feeling that this film would be a total disaster. Was the young James Tiberius Kirk going to be just as smart-alecky and untalented as the young Anakin Skywalker? You mean the Enterprise wasn’t constructed in space dock? Why is Kirk hitting on and bedding Uhura instead of an Orion slave woman, and coming off like some out-of-work extra whose last credit was American Pie 7? What is this?! A Michael Bay movie? Jerry Bruckheimer? All action with absolutely no redeeming dramatic qualities whatsoever?

But packed into the desperate mess were glimmers of hope. The casting of Zachary Quinto as Spock seemed spot on. Karl Urban who plays Dr. McCoy reminds me very much of the ship’s Chief Medical Officer, his eyes belying that same southern mischief. The effects of course look top notch, even if they do seem over the top. It’s nice that Captain Christopher Pike makes an appearance. And I’m understandably curious about the early years of Mr. Spock, especially when the first Pon Farr kicks in. But the characters of Kirk, Chekov and Sulu have seemed woefully miscast since the beginning.

So now the opening of Star Trek is almost upon us the and the dread is finally beginning to ease. Perhaps this is the much needed shot of cordrazine the franchise needed. The reviews are trickling in and they are frankly stellar. General consensus thus far is that there’s plenty of meat to gnaw on for both old and new fans. Chris Pine may have been the right choice for Kirk after all—jury’s still out for me on Sulu, Checkov and Scotty however.

I am also beginning to think that this new Star Trek universe may be more gay-friendly then those of the past. I don’t mean to say that the previous incarnations of the show were homophobic, just that there were plenty of missed opportunities to showcase tolerance, one of the bedrock themes of the original series.

And nor do I mean gay-friendly just on the eyes (I never said the male leads weren’t cute). But this new installment takes its cues from the next generation of moviegoers, who may be more comfortable with the idea of two male ensigns ducking into a jeffries tube for a quick smooch. Hopefully that is something we can look forward to in the inevitable sequels.

In case you’ve been stuck away on a boring away mission and haven’t seen a trailer, I feel the condensed TV spot below is the best of the lot…

I’ll be taking a shuttle (I hate getting scrambled in a transporter beam) over to the movie theater on Saturday. Until then… Live Long and Prosper.