Maine is new scene of nation's Gay Marriage war

[The people of Maine launched] an immediate people's veto campaign, one that produced thousands of voter signatures and forced the inclusion of a question seeking a repeal of the law on November's ballot.


The first question on the Nov. 3 ballot will ask the following: "Do you want to reject the new law that lets same-sex couples marry and allows individuals and religious groups to refuse to perform these marriages?"

Scott Fish of Stand for Marriage Maine said his group's supporters oppose gay marriage because it redefines Maine's legal definition of marriage, which currently recognizes it as a union between one man and one woman.

"A 'no' vote would mean a major cultural shift in the state of Maine in terms of how we look at marriage," he said. "Marriage would then become an any-two-will-do arrangement, really."

Mark Sullivan of Protect Maine Equality, however, said allowing gay marriage is a matter of making sure all Maine people have access to the same rights and privileges.

"A 'yes' vote would mean that a portion of our neighbors, and a very large group of them, would be denied equal protection under the law," said Sullivan.

Fish said a vote to approve the people's veto would "stop a radical redefinition of marriage in Maine law," which he said would change all legal references to women and men, or bride and groom, to "spouse."

Fish referred to LD 1118, a bill that was sponsored by state Rep. Les Fossel, R-Alna, titled "An Act to Expand Rights for Maine's Families," which Fish said would address some of the inequalities that both straight and gay domestic partners face without changing the way the law views marriage. The bill is still in play, and he said it could be brought up for discussion when the Legislature heads back into session.

Fish said LD 1118 would put married people and same-sex couples on the same footing legally, the only difference being that the use of the term "marriage" would remain reserved for straight couples.

Sullivan said the only way to ensure that all Maine couples will have equal rights is to allow the same opportunities for all — including marriage and the benefits that come with it. One of the benefits Sullivan noted was the ability to make decisions about the health of one's partner, or in some cases, the end of his or her life. . . . 

But Sullivan said even with the protections under the state's current domestic partnership laws, and after all the attempts couples have made to secure those rights, it has not been enough. . . 

Anything less than allowing for gay marriage creates "pseudo-marriages" that do little to address what Sullivan called a civil rights issue. Sullivan likened today's debate over gay marriage to those in the past surrounding interracial marriages and women's rights.