NH’s “long march”

Editor, The Citizen:

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I am writing to congratulate all the people who worked so hard to pass the Civil Union legislation in New Hampshire. I especially want to thank our Sanbornton Representative, Gail Morrison. I cannot imagine the amount of work that went into this historic bill.

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I am pleased to see that we have started to take the issue of gay marriage out of the moral morass and begun to represent it as an issue of basic human rights.

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Our founding fathers in the Constitution gave us the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It took us many years to realize that those rights were not exclusive to white males. These rights extend to females, people of color and gay people. Gay marriage protects basic rights such as inheriting property, having survivor benefits, sharing health insurance, and life insurance.

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Gay people are the fabric of our family and friends. They are our brothers and sisters, our sons and daughters. This piece of legislation is an important step on the long march. Thank you for opening the door.

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Paul F. Racicot

Sanbornton