Will NH Have a State Men's Commission?

New Hampshire is inching closer and closer to passing a bill which would establish a state Men's Commission, to study and advocate solutions to issues which negatively impact men as a gender. A full Senate vote on this bill is due any time now, and much of the reason I've been so negligent with Mensactivism.org lately is that I've been very caught up in doing local activism to help promote this bill. An article I wrote for the UNH school newspaper has been adapted for MANN and appears in the Read More section below. If you're a NH resident, please take a moment and write a letter in support of the bill. If you're not a NH resident, you can still write in support of the bill, and let NH Senators know that the country is eagerly hoping to see the success of a state Men's Commission.

Proposed Bill to Establish State Men's Commission

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For more than thirty years, New Hampshire has had a Women's Commission to investigate and advocate for women's issues. This commission has done much to help bring public attention to the problems that women face and has promoted opportunities for women to realize their potential. Now, a bill has been introduced in our state that would do the same for men. HB 587, to establish a New Hampshire Men's Commission, is currently making its way through the NH legislature, and would help bring attention to men's issues which have remained invisible for too long. The staggering suicide rates of men, fatherlessness, domestic violence against men, and double standards which harm men as well as women are just a few of a number of issues that have too often been ignored in the current dialogue on gender. The Men's Commission would help show another side of the coin in gender issues, and improve equal rights for both men and women.

Last year, a legislative study committee issued a report outlining men's issues and status in New Hampshire. The report, which can be downloaded here in Adobe PDF format, examines several critical issues mentioned above and explains the need for a state commission to study and advocate for the needs of men. The results of the report conclusively show that despite some people's perceptions, men have serious problems and issues related to their gender roles and expectations which we have a responsibility to address. Did you know that men die, on average, 10 years earlier than women in NH? That fatherlessness is one of the primary determining factors of violence and antisocial behavior among young men? Or that men on average are doing much worse than women academically (and the trend continues to get worse) in education?

It's time that issues such as these received attention from a state commission, which can collect data locally and encourage action to correct these problems. HB 587 has also received significant legislative support, passing by a wide margin in the House, and was recommended for passage in the Senate just recently by the Internal Affairs Committee. This support is an encouraging sign that men's problems are slowly being acknowledged and understood as serious, legitimate issues. And furthermore, that we can advocate for men's issues without negatively impacting the gains that women have made over the years.

If you believe in equal rights for both men and women, please write to your NH Senators in support of HB 587. This is an opportunity to make a difference for gender equality and justice. We have included a sample letter for you to follow if you'd like, but please keep in mind that individualized letters get more attention from Senators.

Dear Senator,

I am writing to express my support for HB 587, to establish a state Men's Commission in New Hampshire. I believe in equality for both men and women and feel that a state Men's Commission would help address many men's issues that are important not only for men, but also for the women and children in men's lives. We have had a state Women's Commission for more than thirty years, and it's time that we also acknowledged that men have problems and issues that are important. HB 587 would help by collecting data and advocating for men's issues in the state, including problems such as men's high suicide rate, fatherlessness and its social costs, and men's declining educational status. These are all issues we can address without impacting the gains women have made over the years, and a state Men's Commission would be a great step forward for equality and the improvement of both men's and women's lives. Please vote for this bill.

Sincerely,

Contact info for the NH Senate follows. E-mail addresses are included when they exist. Note that half of the Senators don't have public e-mail addresses. A good strategy for sending e-mail to those without addresses is to send your message to Tammy Wright, the Senate clerk, and ask her to print the message out and deliver it to the Senator's mailbox. Tammy Wright's contact information is:

Senate Office  271-2111
Senate Clerk's Office  271-3420
tammy.wright@leg.state.nh.us

Edward (Ned) Gordon
PO Box 112
Bristol, NH  03222-0112
susanduncan@leg.state.nh.us

Harold Burns
PO Box 10
Whitefield, NH  03598-0010

Clifton Below
25 Perley Ave
Lebanon, NH  03766-1816
cbelow@tpk.net

George Disnard
PO Box 1476
Claremont, NH  03743-1476

Katherine (Katie) Wheeler
27 Mill Road
Durham, NH  03824-3006  
katieww@aol.com

Sheila Roberge
83 Olde Lantern Rd
Bedford, NH  03110-4816

Thomas Eaton
27 Pheasant Hill Rd
Keene, NH  03431-4339
senate10@juno.com

Deborah Pignatelli
22 Appletree Green
Nashua, NH  03062-2252

Robert Flanders
PO Box 1
Antrim, NH  03440-0001
flandersrb@aol.com

Gary Francoeur
23 Woodcrest Drive
Hudson, NH  03051-3421

Mark Fernald
243 Spring Hill Rd
Sharon, NH  03458-7308
fernalds@monad.net

John (Jack) Barnes
PO Box 362
Raymond, NH  03077-0362

Burt Cohen
PO Box 208
New Castle, NH 03854-0208
burtc@nh.ultranet.com

Daniel O'Neil
PO Box 4206
Manchester, NH  03108-4206

Carl Johnson
42 Dale Rd
Meredith, NH  03253-6802

carljean@worldpath.net

Russell Prescott
8 Farm Rd
Kingston, NH  03848-3121

Theodore Gatsas
582 Chestnut St
Manchester, NH  03104-6052
t.gatsas@leg.state.nh.us

Lou D'Allesandro
332 St. James Avenue
Manchester, NH  03102

And whatever you do, keep your letters positive! The opponents of this bill have made many attempts to have this portrayed as a "women vs. men" issue, which they know will frighten off many people from voting for the bill and angering the women's lobby. Trying to humilate or shame Senators into voting for this bill is something that has already been tried and has backfired tremendously, so please don't make the same mistake.

If New Hampshire establishes a state Men's Commission, it would serve as a template for many other states to do the same. I have already expressed my willingness in front of the Senate Internal Affairs Committee to volunteer part-time on this commission should the bill pass. Please help make this vision come true!

NOTICE: This story was migrated from the old software that used to run Mensactivism.org. Unfortunately, user comments did not get included in the migration. However, you may view a copy of the original story, with comments, at the following link:

http://news.mensactivism.org/articles/02/04/02/1754259.shtml