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As the clock shivered past midnight at the statehouse in freezing Concord, N.H., more than three dozen gay couples became the first in their state to secure marriage-like rights to protect their relationships.

Following Connecticut's lead in 2005, New Hampshire became the second state to offer civil unions without being prodded by a court.

Vermont and New Jersey also offer civil unions, while California calls its version "domestic partnership." Massachusetts is the only state so far to allow gay couples to actually marry.

But New Hampshire's breakthrough is just a hint of excitement that may lie ahead. Here's what to watch for:

• Job protections: Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered a historic victory last year when the House voted, with the help of 35 Republicans, to outlaw job discrimination based on sexual orientation. Will Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have the courage to push the bill in his chamber in the run-up to a high-stakes election?

   

• Listening sessions: Will we finally get those promised hearings on the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell gay ban and on the job discrimination faced by transgender Americans?

   

• Next president: The Democratic presidential nominee will be gay-friendly, regardless. If Hillary Clinton wins the White House, expect her to go slow on getting rid of "Don't Ask." As the first female commander in chief, she'd have to work especially hard to win the military brass' loyalty. Plus, she wouldn't want to risk rattling her administration on the very issue that made her husband lose his early footing. The Republican choice of presidential nominees will determine whether the GOP finally decides to make peace with gay people. That would be huge, not just for the country, but also for breaking the party away from a political strategy that pushes it further and further away from independents and young voters.

   

• Marriage: Final court rulings could come down in trendsetting California, Connecticut and Iowa. Pay extra attention to California: A positive decision would be tremendous -- one in eight Americans lives there, and it has the largest delegation in Congress. But a positive ruling could also make waves for the Democratic presidential nominee if it hits before Nov. 4, Election Day.

   

• Supreme Court: Traditionally, justices try not to retire during a presidential election year. But the back-to-back departures of Sandra Day O'Connor and William Rehnquist were a reminder of how old and fragile much of this court is. The two new justices -- Samuel Alito and John Roberts -- have likely shifted the court from a 6-3 gay-rights majority to a bare 5-4 majority.

If death, illness or the like result in another departure, one more conservative pick by President Bush could flip it to a 5-4 majority against basic rights for those of us who're gay. Gay Americans and our millions of allies desperately need Justices John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Anthony Kennedy, David Souter and Stephen Breyer to keep serving.

So, looking ahead, will the year that began on such a sweet, high note end on a similar one? I'm feeling upbeat, and there's every reason to hope it will.

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