Gay and lesbian couples have civil unions.  A relationship uniquely and quite properly their own.  A relationship that causes no confusion.  A relationship that can be respected.  Let’s return their relationship to a rightful institution that is clearly understood, and that can be respected by all in its own right.

    – Rep. John Cebrowski, NH House floor, 2/17/2010

Rep. John Cebrowski (R-Bedford) was the first New Hampshire state representative to speak today on HB 1590, a bill that would have repealed New Hampshire’s marriage equality law.  The bill was defeated by a vote of 210 to 109.  A whopping 40 Republicans voted to defeat the bill, but not Cerbrowski.

Cebrowski’s speech was astonishing not just for the raw disrespect he showed to gays and lesbians (while repeatedly stating otherwise), but also for the talking points he used.  Cebrokswi used the approach and language of Jim Crow: infantilization; patronization; segregation; debasement of allies.  The only thing he forgot to say explicitly was “there goes the neighborhood”.  Truly, it was a textbook example of how the mindset behind racism and the mindset behind homophobia can be one in the same.

Read the transcript below the fold.  A video excerpt of Cebrowski’s speech hasn’t surfaced yet, but you can watch this afternoon’s entire House session here.  Discussion of HB 1590 starts about two-thirds of the way in.

Thank you Mr. Speaker and honorable colleagues.  I rise in opposition to the committee report on House Bill 1590.  

Ladies and gentlemen, I came forward to speak about respect. Respect for gay and lesbian couples.  Respect by the public for their relationships.  It has always struck me that one of the main reasons if not the main reason that these couples sought their relationship to be identified as marriage, was a deep hunger for respect.  

But, respect must have its basis in something that is real.  Let me comment on real.  I’ve got a granddaughter.  I’ve got many granddaughters, but I’ve got one who absolutely loves to play princess.  She’s got aaaall the accoutrements!  You know with the jeweled tiara, the pink tutu, the magic wand, the red shoes with the little red sparkles all over.  The jewelry.  And even a little framed certificate that says she’s a princess.  She says to me “Gaggy , I am a princess!”  And I say “Yes, yes, you are!  You’re a princess!”  And then she prances and dances all over and absolutely loves it all.

And I’ve got a grandson who’s got all the Darth Vader gear.  Light saber, helmet, shirt and so on.  And he says to me, “Gaggy I am Darth Vader”, and I say “Yes, yes, of course you are!  You are the master of the Death Star.  You are the master of the Galaxy!”  And he absolutely loves it!

This fantasy, these flights of imagination, this game-playing, is great.  It’s fun.  With children.  With children.  But here we are ladies and gentlemen.  We’re talking about adults.  Adults.  This is serious business.

We all know that the vast majority out there know that marriage is between a man and a woman.  To engage in this flight of fancy, this flight of imagination, this make-believe, with adults, is downright cruel.  It’s cruel!  It’s a cruel joke, and I don’t like it.  This make-believe does nothing absolutely nothing to provide the respect that gays and lesbians feel due, and are due.  This may placate and pacify a little bit, but it’s not real.  It’s not real.  It never will be real.  It’s false satisfaction.

I understand that there is a wide spectrum of views of what marriage is.  There’s a continuum, if you will.  If your starting point is the Hollywood version of marriage, you know kinda-sorta like a country club or gym membership, you know a contract you can get into and out of pretty easily, then you may be o.k. with the status quo.

At the other end of the spectrum are those who may see marriage as a hallowed sacrament whose life-long contract has its basis in procreation.  Then you’re probably not o.k. with this.

Where you fall on that spectrum likely influences your views on this subject.  But I think that one thing that we can all be unanimous about is sincere respect for others.  Respect for everyone.

Gay and lesbian couples have civil unions.  A relationship uniquely and quite properly their own.  A relationship that causes no confusion.  A relationship that can be respected.  Let’s return their relationship to a rightful institution that is clearly understood, and that can be respected by all in its own right.

Let’s stop the game-playing, the fantasy, and respect the civil union for what it is, and a marriage for what it is.

In closing, I was thinking a lot about this as I was driving up here this morning, and I was thinking about how my grandparents and my parents taught me to respect everyone, to respect marriage and to have the courage to stand for my convictions.  So I came up here.  I ask you to recall similar teachings and to summon your courage to press the red button.

Thank you Mr. Speaker, and thank you honorable colleagues.

Lucy McVitty Weber (D-Walpole) was the last speaker before the vote, and schooled Rep. Cebrowski on the current disposition of Civil Unions in New Hampshire.  From Blue Hampshire:

civil unions were repealed when marriage equality took effect, and there isn’t a provision in HB1590 to bring them back.

So Cebrowski’s “respect” for gay and lesbian couples is proven to be completely disingenuous by his desire to relegate them to a separate but unequal institution that no longer even exists.

Commenters over at Blue Hampshire remarked how unusual it was that Cebrowski spoke against the bill first and not Rep. Nancy Elliott.  Elliott spoke for the minority in the minority committee report on the bill, and it is customary for a minority report author to get the opposition ball rolling in the floor debate.  Undoubtedly the NH GOP was too embarrassed by her recent expose of her sex ‘n lies obsession and her subsequent retraction to risk allowing her to speak publicly again.  But somehow I think they found a very fitting alternate indeed to Ms. “wiggling it around in excrement” Elliott with Mr. “a cruel joke” Cebrowski.