Civil unions: a tourism boon in the making

BETHLEHEM, N.H. — If the rainbow-painted deck chairs, fluttering rainbow flag and purple shutters don't make it clear, the Highlands Inn's toll-free number, 877-LES-B-INN, leaves no doubt as to whom this White Mountains resort caters.

Innkeeper Grace Newman began hosting commitment ceremonies at this self-proclaimed "lesbian paradise" — in the 1980s. Newman says she has lost track of the number of commitment ceremonies that have happened there; she estimates about 300 couples have honeymooned at the inn after getting civil unions in Vermont or marriages in Quebec, Canada, both short drives away.

In 2008, the inn's 25th anniversary coincides with another milestone: legal recognition of civil unions by New Hampshire that began last week.

From the North Country to the Statehouse steps, gay couples are making commitment plans.

"It would be pretty easy to take a little break from the party and celebrate some civil unions," said Newman, who plans to get her own civil union with longtime partner Maria Doyle in September at the inn.

The new law plants another rainbow-colored flag in New England, which has grown increasingly gay-friendly since neighboring Vermont became the first state to legalize civil unions in 2000. It has been a quick reversal for New Hampshire, whereas recently as 2004 lawmakers reacted to Massachusetts' gay marriage law by passing a ban on recognizing those unions here.

The new law will make civil unions the equivalent of marriage in all respects but name.

Beginning in 2008, five of six New England states will provide some form of legal recognition to same-sex couples: marriage in Massachusetts; civil unions in Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut; domestic partnerships in Maine. Rhode Island does not allow same-sex marriages, but is among the few states that recognize ones performed in Massachusetts.

As ceremonies for gay couples go mainstream in New Hampshire, some innkeepers, hotel managers and tourism marketers are working to get some of the expected upswing in business.

"I think it can turn into another niche market for lodging properties and all of our wedding folks who provide services: photographers, florists, bakers, sleigh rides, the whole gamut," said Janice Crawford, executive director of the chamber of commerce in the Mount Washington Valley — a tourism-rich swath of ski resorts, retail outlets and small amusement parks in northern New Hampshire.

Crawford said she started thinking about civil-unions packages when the law passed this spring. The chamber already markets a gay-friendly businesses Web site and will feature civil union packages as they come available, she said. Speaking recently in her office, Crawford tossed out her pitch: "Plan your civil union ceremony around your vacation," she said.

In Bradford, innkeeper Lesley Marquis said she has heard from couples who have seen her advertisement on the state tourism Web site for a $350 civil-unions package at her Rosewood Country Inn. "Weddings are big for us. Whether it's regular couples or gay couples," she said. "Starting January, I think there are going to be a lot of people trying to do it, so I think that having it on the state site will benefit us," she said.

Marquis' first civil-union booking is from Sian Strobridge and Katie Bosse, of Manchester, who are planning their ceremony to coincide with their third anniversary Feb. 2. Strobridge and Bosse have their details set: A weekend at the Rosewood Country Inn with family and close friends; a beaded ivory gown for Sian and a tuxedo for Katie; a gourmet dinner by caterers at Canterbury Shaker Village; calla lilies for the bridal bouquet; hair and makeup appointments for Sian.

"In one aspect I see myself as a typical bride," said Strobridge, 34, an assistant manager at a Manchester boutique.

So far the couple have committed $5,000 for the event and weekend; they plan to follow up in June with a weekend party for 200 at an apple orchard, Strobridge said.

State recordkeepers recently distributed thousands of civil unions documents to city and town clerks, who began offering the licenses for a $45 fee Dec. 10. William Bolton, director of the state Vital Records Administration, said officials took the number of civil unions performed in Vermont in 2000 — 1,704 — and roughly doubled that for their estimate that 3,500 to 4,000 couples will get civil unions in New Hampshire in 2008. About 10,000 couples in New Hampshire marry every year, Bolton said.

While the civil unions estimate could be high — ceremonies in Vermont spiked early on before dropping significantly as other states legalized them — some estimate that civil unions could add millions to New Hampshire's economy.

A 2005 study predicted that legalizing same-sex marriage in New Hampshire would bring in an additional $630,000 a year in rooms and meals taxes in the first three years. The study, by The Williams Project on Sexual Orientation and Public Policy at the UCLA School of Law, was funded by two national gay-rights groups.

It estimated that half the 2,703 same-sex couples counted in the 2000 census in New Hampshire would choose to marry within three years if marriage was offered to them.

A subsequent study in 2006 calculated that 1,352 gay couples, each spending about $7,600 — or one-quarter of the $30,510 straight couples spend on weddings in New Hampshire — would spend more than $10.3 million on weddings if they were allowed to marry.