Gay marriage heads toward initiative vote (Another one ... Maine)

The Waterville Morning Sentinel ^ | February 23, 2012 | Susan M. Cover

[2ndDivisionVet]

AUGUSTA -- Gay marriage advocates turned in more than enough signatures to move ahead with a citizen initiative that would allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in Maine, the secretary of state's office ruled Thursday.

More than 85,000 signatures were declared valid. The groups needed only 57,277 signatures for their bill to get to the Legislature.

The decision means lawmakers will now be presented with a citizen initiative to allow gay marriage in Maine. Currently, seven states and the District of Columbia allow gay marriages.

While lawmakers have the option of passing the bill as proposed, most likely it will be sent to voters in November.

Advocates, who lost at the ballot box in 2009 by a 53-47 percent vote, believe enough Mainers have changed their minds on the issue that they will win this time around.

"The story of the 2012 campaign is not going to be gay folk coming out and supporting this, it's going to be heterosexuals like myself coming out in support of gay marriage," said the Rev. Michael Gray of Old Orchard Beach United Methodist Church. "We're now realizing how important it is for us to speak up."

Brian Souchet, the director of the Office for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, said he fully expected the advocates would get the necessary signatures. But, he said they will have a harder time convincing the public it should pass.

"This is a group that's attempting to redefine marriage," he said. "We don't see how a majority of Maine voters are going to go for that."

The coalition working to pass a gay marriage law includes EqualityMaine, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, the Maine Women's Lobby, The Religious Coalition Against Discrimination and 15 other groups.

Betsy Smith, executive director of EqualityMaine, said she hopes the Legislature listens to the more than 100,000 people who signed their petition in support of a citizen initiative.

"Our hope is that they will abide by the wishes of the people, which is to vote in November," she said.

Bob Emrich, who is organizing a coalition of opponents that will include the Christian Civic League of Maine, Concerned Women for America and the National Organization for Marriage, said he's cautiously optimistic that voters haven't changed their minds on the issue.

"We're much better prepared than we were before," he said. "I don't know anyone other than EqualityMaine folks who think things have changed."

[Ransomed]

Is the first time an initiative was started by a state that is specifically for recognizing/having “gay marriage” as opposed to a popular vote process that would bar ‘gay marriage’? I wonder if that won’t be harder to pass by popular vote.

Yeah, Maine is in the low-mid 50% range hopefully, at least for a little bit longer.

Freegards

[fwdude]

I believe this is the first time a state initiative has gone this far to recognize fake marriage. Other states have talked about it, including California, but it's telling that they have not followed through with their plan. Could it be that they know the initiative to counterfeit marriage would fail? You'd better believe it.

The lies and outrageous harassment by the homo-mafia will be fierce in Maine - AND Washington. Let them be; it will reveal what barbarians they are.

[Savage Beast]

Legally, the Confederates were on firmer ground in seceding from the Union than the Patriots were in declaring independence from Great Britain.

I suppose the question of authority in international relations is a matter of power.

The Confederates had the legal authority to secede, merely by revoking the ratification of the Constitution, which is what they did, but, as history proved, they lacked the power, and therefore their legal authority was revoked de facto and ex post facto de jure.

Similarly, the question of Texas' secession--or Hawaii's--is a matter not of law but of power.

I seem to have answered my own question.