N.H. rings in new year with civil unions

CONCORD, N.H., Jan. 1 (UPI) -- Twenty-three New Hampshire gay couples became the first in the state to be united in civil union ceremonies just after midnight Tuesday.

The couples were united at a collective ceremony held on the Statehouse steps during the very first minute of 2008 -- the time the state's civil union law went into effect, The (Manchester, N.H.) Union-Leader reported Tuesday.

The ceremony, which included the union of state Rep. Gail Morrison, D-Sanbornton, to her longtime partner, Pauline Chabot, was presided over by Unitarian Universalist Minister Mary Wellemeyer. Eight officials also were present to hear the individual commitment vows authored by the couples.

The event was organized by Morrison and Jen Major, who was issued a civil union with her partner, Kelley Morris, during the ceremony.

"We're doing this to make it legal, to have documentation and all the rights and responsibilities that go with a civil union," Major said. "Then in the summer we're planning a huge wedding at our church."