Backstory: Civil Unions in New Hampshire

The governor of New Hampshire signed legislation today legalizing civil unions for same-sex couples starting in January, joining seven states that already allow civil unions or domestic partnerships, including Massachusetts, the only state to allow gay marriage. Oregon also will join those ranks in January.

As U.S.News & World Report noted last August, the political push for gay rights--and the counteroffensive from those advocating a man-and-woman definition of marriage--have evolved, with victories and setbacks for each side.