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Please thank these representatives who consistently voted to defend the freedom to marry during the debate on HB437.  A personal email or a phone call will mean a lot to these individuals who stood up to protect the rights of all families.

The names and contact information are presented below in alphabetical order by county and House district number.  If you are unsure of which House district you live in, please visit this page for assistance: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/members/wml.aspx

Dear Representative [LAST NAME],

I’m writing to thank you for opposing HB 437- the harmful bill that would have repealed marriage equality in New Hampshire. As your constituent, I stand with the 62% of Granite Staters who support your vote and agree that gay and lesbian couples should have the freedom to marry.

Thank you for standing up for all New Hampshire families and I hope that I can count on you to oppose any future misguided

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CONCORD, NH -With the release of internal strategy memos of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) outlining a $20 million political campaign which aimed to drive a wedge between the gay community and communities of color, today the co-chair of Standing Up for NH Families called on the state’s gubernatorial candidates to denounce NOM and its cynical and racist tactics.  The memos were made public in court documents released in Maine where NOM is fighting compliance with campaign finance laws.

“These memos are disgraceful and Granite State voters need to remember that NOM dumped $2 million into the gubernatorial and legislative races in 2010 hoping to drive it’s anti-family message home,” said Craig Stowell, Republican co-chair of the bipartisan organization dedicated to defending the 2009 freedom to marry law.

In particular, Stowell singled out Kevin Smith who is a paid lobbyist for NOM and former Executive Director of Cornerstone, another organization described extensively in the newly unveiled memos. “Did Kevin…

Standing Up for NH Families Declares Victory in Staving Off Repeal of Marriage Equality

CONCORD, NH– Standing Up for NH Families, the bipartisan organization fighting efforts to repeal or roll back the 2009 marriage equality law released the following statement from co-chair Craig Stowell, a Republican from Claremont, following the House vote of 211-116 to defeat the bill:

“Today is a banner day for the freedom to marry. Our opponents have been crowing about getting their two-thirds, but in the end, it’s clear they couldn’t muster the votes. This is a victory for our supporters — the majority of Granite Staters who oppose any roll back of marriage equality — because they reached out time and again and told lawmakers to leave this law alone.

This was our opponents’ best shot and they blew it. This was supposed to be the most favorable legislative climate for repeal and they couldn’t even get a majority.

Still, we cannot simply pack our…

GOP gubernatorial hopeful Kevin Smith, who also happens to be on the National Organization for Marriage’s payroll in their campaign to repeal the freedom to marry in New Hampshire, released his six-page economic plan for New Hampshire today. Missing from his plan was any mention of economic impacts of repealing marriage equality.

Sean Owen, a member of our Leadership Council, and the chair of the GOP PAC dedicated to protecting Republicans who defend the freedom to marry law in this November’s elections, released this statement today slamming Smith for failing to address marriage repeal as a key economic factor:

“Kevin Smith says he cares about the economy and, specifically, about attracting and keeping young talent right here in the Granite State,” said Owen of NH Republicans for Freedom and Equality. “Yet young people overwhelmingly view the issue of marriage equality as a core indicator of whether a company or a state is a welcoming place, where they can thrive and

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CONCORD, NH– Standing Up for NH Families, the bipartisan organization fighting efforts to repeal or roll back the 2009 marriage equality law, today criticized Rep. David Bates’ last minute effort to further amend HB 437 on the eve of the House vote by stripping the bill of its core elements and seeking a non-binding referendum on the freedom to marry this November.

Addressing rumors in the statehouse about an overhaul of the bill, Craig Stowell, co-chair of the organization said, “This is nothing more than a bait and switch.  This new bill — because that’s what it is — has never had a public hearing, has never been vetted, and has never been in front of the people of New Hampshire.”

“We didn’t just fall off the turnip truck.  Bates and his dwindling group of supporters have made it clear…

Standing Up for New Hampshire Families Joined by Key Supporters
CONCORD, NH- Two Republican state representatives, a celebrated New Hampshire chef who recently married her partner and a popular morning talk show host all joined members of the Leadership Council of Standing Up for New Hampshire Families urging the Legislature to reject HB 437 which would repeal the popular marriage equality law enacted in 2009.

Joining about 20 members of the bipartisan leadership council which represents business, community, civic, academic and religious leaders, Greg Kretschmar, the host of “The Morning Buzz” on WGIR said the repeal effort is “not the New Hampshire way.”

“I’ve been happily married for more than 20 years.  All of us have friends and family who are gay.  And they deserve the chance at happiness that my wife and I share,” said Kretschmar. “I talk to probably hundreds of thousands of people in a given week or month, and I can tell you people don’t want…

 Volunteers Urge Concord to Stop Repeal, Block Referendum

CONCORD, NH- Standing Up for NH Families, the bipartisan group dedicated to stopping the repeal of marriage equality, announced today that lawmakers have received nearly 18,000 direct calls or emails from their constituents urging them to reject any attempt to thwart or dilute the 2009 law.

Volunteers have made nearly 39,000 phone calls, manning phone banks in Nashua, Portsmouth, Keene, Manchester, the University of New Hampshire, New England College and Concord.  As a result of these hundreds of volunteer hours, 71 different House districts have been called, resulting in more than 5,000 direct phone calls to lawmakers asking them to reject repeal.

At the same time, nearly 8,100 New Hampshire residents have signed an online pledge opposing any effort to repeal or dilute the law, resulting in nearly 12,800 emails to lawmakers.

“These numbers are impressive but not surprising.  Most people are stunned that the legislature is considering repealing this law and taking…