House passed marriage equality bill, which is a personal issue for NH’s Chris Pappas

The threat to marriage equality is personal for Chris Pappas.

By the time he’s at the altar next year with his fiance, Vann Bentley, he fears other same-sex couples will not have the same freedom if the federal court case protecting marriage equality is overturned.

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted to enshrine marriage equality as a federal right with the Respect for Marriage Act, which Pappas helped introduced. The bill passed 267-157, with bipartisan support from 47 Republicans.

“It’s really important to ensure that same-sex couples that have won these hard-fought freedoms don’t all of a sudden have the rug pulled out from under them, or don’t find themselves living in a state that all of a sudden won’t recognize their marriage or their family,” Pappas said.

Pappas, who is in his second term representing New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District, announced his engagement to Bentley at the end of 2021. He was the first openly gay federal legislator elected in New Hampshire and now is the co-chair of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus.

Following the Supreme Court reversal of federal abortion protection in June through the ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, democratic lawmakers in Congress have called for marriage equality and the right to contraception to be codified in law to protect them from future court appeals.

“I think it would be naive to think that the Supreme Court and the far-right is going to stop at the Dobb's decision,” Pappas said.

Next, it will be up to the Senate to decide if marriage equality should be protected by federal law. With the need for 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, it will require bipartisan support. Pappas hopes the bill will be met with the same urgency as it was in the House.

“This is something that's important for families in New Hampshire and all across the country,” he said. “And we've got to settle this at the federal level and prevent any further backward movement on the fundamental rights we all enjoy.”

In 2015, the Supreme Court established same-sex marriage as a legal right under the 14th Amendment in the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling. However, in Justice Clarence Thomas’s concurring opinion on the Dobbs case, he suggested that Obergefell and other cases should also be reconsidered.

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“It's clear that not only is this about reproductive rights, but it's also about the other ways that we have gained freedom that is underpinned by the right to privacy,” said Pappas. “That includes the ability of same-sex couples to enter into marriages. And I think we don't want to take anything for granted.”

The Granite State legalized same-sex marriage when Former Governor John Lynch signed a marriage equality bill in 2009.

“I'm thankful to live in New Hampshire, and to have always been a part of a state that has a live-and-let-live culture that respects people of diverse backgrounds,” he said.

Thirty-five states ban same-sex marriage in their constitutions, state law, or both. New England is an exception since all six states, led first by Massachusetts, allow same-sex marriage by law.

“Why should I have my marriage recognized in New Hampshire, where I live with my husband, but not when we go visit his family in the state of Alabama,” he said.

Throughout the month of June, Pappas attended Pride events across the state. There he heard concerns from constituents about their personal right to marriage, he said.

“They wanted Congress to do something about it," he said. “So this is our response. And I think it's a response that's rooted in our shared democratic values in this country, and one that will protect individuals' fundamental freedoms.”

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These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.