FAREWELL TO THE GOVERNOR

            Even though his term as Governor of New Hampshire is coming to an end with his last State of the State Address this week, John Lynch’s legislation will remain as a great reminder of how minds can be changed.  He gives me a reason for hope.  In the beginning of his campaign, Lynch believed that marriage should be kept between a man and a woman because of the traditional values that he was brought up with.  However, when Lynch began to investigate why gay marriage was such a hot topic in New Hampshire, he discovered that an equal marriage law stands in line with New Hampshire’s “Live Free or Die” motto.  It is the ideology of the New Hampshire people to never take freedom away from anyone and to create laws that will spread freedom further.  After Gov. Lynch met with same sex couples he began to understand that unless there is equal marriage, equality cannot be made and the freedom that New Hampshire boasts is not being put into practice.

            Gov. Lynch gives me hope because he was able to change his mind about what equality really is and act upon it.  On June 3, 2009 he signed into law, a bill that same sex couples would be entitled the same rights as opposite sex partners in marriage.  Even though this law is now being put under fire by the Republican Party in New Hampshire, Gov. Lynch has already made a firm statement that he will veto any bill that would take away the freedom for same sex couples to marry.  Even greater than one man’s mind changing is the minds of the citizens.  Before gay marriage was made into a law in 2009, 55% of constituents believed that gays should marry and in 2011, just two years after the law was instated, 63% of NH citizens want to keep same sex marriage in New Hampshire.  Our times are truly changing and so are the opinions of people.  I can say that I am proud to live in a state that believes in equal freedom for its people.  This gives me hope that one day people will see that I am no different than any other human out there.  So thank you Gov. John Lynch, you have given me hope by making our state motto a reality.

“Live free or die, for death is not the worst of evils.”~ General John Stark