Cassie Levesque changed NH marriage law. Now she's getting recognition in TV series, book

BARRINGTON — New Hampshire state Rep. Cassie Levesque, at age 22, is getting high-profile recognition for her work to change the age at which a person can get married in the state, in order to protect children.

The Democratic legislator appears in "Gutsy," a documentary series based on Hillary and Chelsea Clinton's book "The Book of Gutsy Women," and is included in the book, "Most Inspiring Women in the 21st Century: USA-Canada."

“It's very exciting to be considered a gutsy woman, especially by [the Clintons], and I was really excited to be acknowledged with so many other great women out there,” Levesque said.

In 2019, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton published "The Book of Gutsy Women," their first book together. Three years later, they have just released an eight-part docuseries titled "Gutsy."

Streaming on Apple TV+, the docuseries, which premiered Sept. 9, includes interviews with Kim Kardashian, Megan Thee Stallion, Jane Goodall, Gloria Steinem, Wanda Skyes, Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn, and Kate Hudson, among others.

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Levesque is also highlighted in a book titled “Most Inspiring Women in the 21st Century: USA-Canada” by Rebecca Mb, Dr. Orlando Valverde, Lovelyn P. Eyo and Anna Tatyana.

Levesque's story appears among those of Oprah Winfrey, Kamala Harris, Michelle Obama, Ivanka Trump, Maya Angelou, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, and Hillary Clinton.

Levesque was elected to the New Hampshire House at 19, making her the youngest female representative to be elected in 2018. Even at that young age, she'd already had a hand in writing state legislation.

How Levesque raised the legal age of marriage in NH

Levesque’s journey as a legislator began when she was just 15 years old and in Girl Scouts. UNICEF came to speak to her Scout troop about a number of issues. This included the various forms of human trafficking, including child marriage. The talk inspired Levesque’s project for a Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn for completing a project that has local, national or global impact on a community.

She chose to do her project on child marriage.

“That's when I found out about New Hampshire's laws,” Levesque said.

In New Hampshire at the time, the legal age to marry for girls was 13 and for boys was 14.

“I just couldn't comprehend that,” she said. “So, I started researching on how to change the law.”

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Levesque began by reaching out to her local state representative, Jackie Cilley, also of Barrington. The two worked closely together to formulate a bill that would raise the legal age of marriage to 18 in the state.

“It's evident immediately that she's passionate about this," Cilley said. "She does her homework. I mean she did just hours and hours and hours of research on the subject.”

Cilley added, “When you look at marriage, from a civil standpoint, it's a contract. It's a civil, social contract between two people. At 13 years old, a girl can’t enter into any kind of a contract that's legally binding … except for marriage."

The bill to raise the marriage did not pass on the first attempt. Some Republicans argued if a child becomes pregnant at 13, keeping marriage legal would prevent the child from being born out of wedlock.

In 2018, Levesque and Cilley decided to pursue a bill with a compromise. The bill would raise the age to 16, but there would be a special requirement for 16- and 17-year-olds: A marriage license would be granted only if a judge determines there is “clear and convincing evidence” the marriage is in the minor’s best interest.

Now it's much less likely for anyone under 18 in the state to get married.

The New Hampshire law has made a national impact. Other states have changed their laws to ban marriage before the age of 18 since Levesque’s bill passed. Delaware and New Jersey passed their child marriage laws in 2018, Pennsylvania and Minnesota passed bills in 2020 and New York and Rhode Island changed their laws in 2021.

Following the success of the legislation in New Hampshire, Levesque ran for state representative and was elected in 2018 at age 19.

Levesque’s next endeavor is to eliminate the marriage age exception of 16, she said, so the legal age of marriage in New Hampshire is truly 18 years old.

What being a 'Gutsy' woman means to Cassie Levesque

Levesque reflected on being recognized for her work on the state's child marriage law and being included in the "Gutsy" series.

“I hope it tells [young women] that there are a lot of women out there who are doing a lot of great things, and they can be one of them. Even if it's just something small, they are still a part of something great,” Levesque said. “And hopefully one day, you know, there might be a little girl who is watching the series and wants to become the next state rep. or senator or even the president. You know, hopefully they get inspired by all these great women to want to be an advocate in whatever career they choose."

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Cilley said she's not surprised at the attention Levesque's work is receiving.

“This has been a core cause for Cassie for a number of years now,” Cilley said. “So absolutely, she deserves the recognition.”

Still passionate about her work

Levesque still feels there's much to be done about the effects of people marrying too young or forced to marry too young.

“It's really difficult to get the victims of child marriage to speak openly about it.  Part of it is fear, part of it is the stigma and I truly think part of it is shame,” Levesque said. “What we have to remember is these women are scared their spouses will find them, hurt them or even possibly kill them. They will try to get custody of their children. They will make their lives a living hell. Coming out and speaking publicly about this is terrifying.”

“People don't realize that child marriage has generational effects,” Levesque added.

“I definitely hope to get to meet [The Clintons] at some point,” said Levesque. “And maybe even have some discussions on how we can end child marriage across the US and make sure every child gets to be able to grow up and not have to face adulthood so soon.”

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Barrington NH State Rep Cassandra Levesque on Clintons' 'Gutsy' women