The Maine Reason
TAGS: Gay Marriage, Jesse Connolly, John Baldacci, Legislation, Maine, New Hampshire, Protect Maine Equality, Vermont.
Last week, Maine became the 31st state to reject a referendum that would have legalized gay marriage.
With 87 percent of precincts reporting, gay-marriage foes had 53 percent of the vote in a referendum that asked Maine voters whether they wanted to repeal a law allowing same-sex marriage that had passed the Legislature and was signed by Democratic Gov. John Baldacci.
“The institution of marriage has been preserved in Maine and across the nation,” said Frank Schubert, the chief organizer for Stand for Marriage Maine, which lobbied for the repeal.
For the gay rights movement, which has gained a foothold in New England, it was a stinging defeat. Gay marriage has now lost in every state — 31 in all — in which it has been put to a popular vote. Gay-rights activists had hoped to buck that trend in Maine, framing same-sex marriage as a matter of equality for all families in a campaign that used 8,000 volunteers to get out the message.
Five states have legalized gay marriage — Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut — but all did so through legislation or court rulings, not by popular vote.
Portland resident Sarah Holman said she was torn, but decided — despite her conservative upbringing — to vote in favor of letting gays marry.
“They love and they have the right to love. And we can’t tell somebody how to love,” said Holman, 26.
Hold on a minute here…let’s get the record straight. This vote did not outlaw homosexuality, it only outlawed gay marriage. They are still free to love to each other.
While the gay marriage opponents claimed victory, Jesse Connolly, campaign manager for No on 1/Protect Maine Equality, held off conceding until early Wednesday, when he issued a statement vowing to continue to press the issue.
The fight for marriage equality will continue, he told supporters at the Holiday Inn ballroom, where a buffet table included a three-tiered wedding cake — with two grooms standing side by side, two brides standing side by side and the inscription: “We all do!”
And this is why you will never, ever, ever see gay marriage be voted on by the people, and not ushered in by a small handful of judges. The pro-gay marriage movement knows that gay marriage will not survive a vote by the people…and they will stop at nothing to keep you from voting on it.
But hey, if you want to keep electing people that choose to effectively put duct tape over your mouths, by all means…
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Aaron Margolis is a life long resident of the Bay State, and works at an architectural firm north of Boston. Aaron has a Master of Architecture Degree from Boston Architectural College and is currently in the process of becoming of a Registered Architect.
At least ya get to vote on this issue in Maine, not so in Massachusetts
Right on, Aaron! On the bright side, we will get to vote for Scott Brown, who’s pro-marriage (though he’s also pro-choice).
I was at the Plymouth County GOP Rally last night and I though Jack E. Robinson did a better job than Scott Brown.
Lets not be too happy here…..Scott (or Jack) won’t win. He’s running to raise his state profile so he can run for AG (or be Lt. Gov. pick).
“this is why you will never, ever, ever see gay marriage be voted on by the people,”
You can’t actually believe this statement.