MANCHESTER, N.H., Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Gay activists in New Hampshire say they aren't surprised by the refusal of the state's largest newspaper to run homosexual wedding announcements.
The Manchester (N.H.) Union Leader issued a statement signed by publisher Joseph McQuaid saying the paper had no plan to start featuring same-sex couples in their wedding and engagement pages despite the 2009 legalization of homosexual marriages in New Hampshire.
"While the law sanctions gay marriage, it neither demands that churches perform them or that our First Amendment right to choose what we print be suspended," McQuaid's statement said.
The statement did not sit well with homosexual rights activists who took issue with the claim the Union Leader was "not 'anti-gay.'"
"The Union Leader's opposition to gays and lesbians being treated equally under the law is no secret to those of us that live in New Hampshire," Mo Baxley, executive director of N.H. Freedom to Marry, said in a written statement.
The Keane (N.H.) Sentinel said Sunday that U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes, D-N.H., sent a letter to McQuaid Friday night demanding the newspaper "respect the law of New Hampshire" and allow same-sex couples the same access as heterosexuals.
