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Loading ...Fate of Maine gay marriage law in hands of voters
09.02.2009 4:10pm EDT
(Augusta, Maine) The governor of Maine has signed a formal proclamation putting the state’s gay marriage law up for a vote in November.
Gov. John Baldacci signed the measure Wednesday after election officials verified that gay marriage foes had reached the threshold of petitions necessary to put the law on the ballot.The gay marriage law was supposed to go into effect this month, but it was put on hold while the secretary of state’s office validated the number of petitions.
The announcement comes as no surprise.
Gay marriage opponents needed the signatures of at least 55,087 registered voters for the so-called People’s Veto, and they turned in nearly 100,000 signatures.
In May, Maine became the fifth state to allow gay marriage, and New Hampshire followed suit.
Very sad that states continue to put individual’s rights up to a vote.
Once again, right-wingers get their way. We need to fight this anti-gay challenge at all costs. We lost California, but not through a lack of trying. We were outspent by zealous Mormons and others who poured millions of dollars into the Prop Hate election. We must stop this nonsense in Maine, and in Washington State, where the DP law is being challenged at the polls.
Bible bangers give new meaning to the words bigotry and hate.
Wow, I don’t know what the queers in maine are like, but I hope they do something major door to door canvasing or were screwed. I can see this going either way, and i’m terrified.
Why do religious conservative people get involved in our lives? Can’t they just look the other way and allow us to live in peace? We are citizens of this country like they are. Why can’t they understand this?
What part of the separation of state and clero, they don’t understand?
In Mexico is so clear that if you need and want you mnarriage sanctioned by the church you go to you faith church and that’s it. If you want to the state (and it is what everybofy wants)you go to civil register (one in every municipality at least) and you sign your Marriage Act. This way 2 individuals are protected by the state under the law, we gays, don’t want mess with catholics or any others, we just want the STATE to validate our rights, It is so difficul to understand it?
I agree with Trace…we can bemoan the religious bigots all day long, but as long as the courts are not standing up for our rights and our constitution, we have a very sad situation.
Let the bigots scream and cry damnation…but our judicial system out to be stopping this. As in California, I was just floored their top court did not side with us since the voters clearly took away a right.
Maybe we should start a petition in states that have these way too lax ammendment and veto laws that would hurt the religious bigots. Why can’t we have a constitutional ammendment in Maine that requires municipalities to tax church property and their vast income, for example?
They would back away so fast it would be funny.
My oh my – when are the citizens of this country and in particular the state of Maine going to grow up – same sex marriage, health care, gun laws – hard to believe we are the super power or were the super power??
I certainly hope the citizens of Maine have more compassion than the citizens of California… At least the gay Mainiacs can come over here to NH to get married starting in January…
Yet again our rights are being put to a vote.
DaveW: How about we take up petition drives in every state making divorce illegal … then ask the different Churches to support it. Then see their hypocrisy come back to bight them!
Over the years, at least since Anita Bryant & the Moral Majority, most all the TV evangelists on TV, mega churches, have been able to establish mailing lists of their anti-gay supporters, so they go to their maps of followers and know what their base and possibilities are to get signatures for their referendums. It’s all planned out ahead to know their chances of even passing these anti-gay laws. What is troubling is that passing legislation against gays is easy if you start with marriage laws. We need to know who our supporters are and where they live, so least we start out knowing we have a base too, so we can prevent losing more rights.
Darn Darn Darn! I’m getting really tired of these Scaredy Cat Bullies being able to vote away rights from other Human Beings!! The Scaredy Cat Bullies in government won’t take a stand for EQUALITY for ALL either! How much more does the GLBTQ community have to struggle and fight and march and protest to get the SAME rights as the rest of the population? Well my combat boots are sitting by the front door. I’m f*cking ready to fight!! Grrrrrrr
Wow… sad to say but we have another same-sex marriage repeal coming.
I agree with bama-stu. Why not make divorce illegal, after all do not all religious marriage ceremonies state that “what God has joined let no man put asunder”? Speaking of which, not all marriages are religious – in fact – in your country and in mine (Canada) marriage licences are granted by the state. It just so happens that the clerics are licenced by the state to perform marriages as are notary publics, justices of the peace, marriage commissioners and captains at sea. It seems no one stops to think of these points as they point out the religious aspects of marriage. In fact, in Europe the only ceremony that is recognized is the civil ceremony.
This is another fine example of Christian Hate.
Maine needs a bookburning — a huge pyre of thousands of copies of the “Holy Bible” (the new and improved NIV version).