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Loading ...Maine House approves gay marriage
05.05.2009 2:11pm EDT
(Augusta, Maine) With a vote of 89-58, the Maine House on Tuesday gave initial approval to legislation allowing same-sex marriage.
The vote spent three hours in impassioned debate on the bill.It received initial passage in the state Senate on April 30.
The House version and that of the Senate now must be unified and undergo a final vote before going to the desk of Gov. John Baldacci.
Whether the governor will sign it is anybody’s guess at this point. Baldacci has said he has not made up his mind on gay marriage.
Same-sex marriage advocates have delivered more than 10,000 postcards asking him to support the legislation.
The legislation would repeal Maine’s 12-year old so-called Defense of Marriage law which bars same-sex marriage and make marriage gender-neutral. It also states that churches would not be compelled to conduct same-sex weddings if it would be inconsistent with their doctrine.
The conservative Maine Marriage Alliance has said that if same-sex marriage appears to be on a track to legalization it would press for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
The New Hampshire House will vote on a similar bill Wednesday. It already has passed the Senate but Gov John Lynch who has said he believes the current civil union law works fine has not said if he would veto the bill.
Same-sex marriage already is legal in three New England states – Massachusetts, Connecticut and Vermont
Elsewhere, same-sex marriage is legal in Iowa. New York Gov David Paterson (D) has unveiled legislation to allow same-sex couples to marry in the Empire State and in California, the Supreme Court is expected to rule this spring on the legality of Prop 8 the voter approved measure banning gay marriage in that state.
this is not “gay marriage” legislation and it’s not “same-sex marriage”. It’s marriage EQUALITY legislation. Symantics can change minds and hearts. The provisions within the bill protecting churches right to refuse to perform services has also proved effective in silencing the anti-equality bunch.
It’s like clearing a forrest…one tree at a time.
@ Karen — The Catholic Church has refused to marry divorced people for years. If a church doesn’t want to marry you, it doesn’t have to. A lot of churches won’t marry couples unless at least one of them is a member of that church.
In a way, the US is getting Rick Rolled.
Congratulations on Maine doing “the right thing”. This is purely a matter of CIVIL RIGHTS for all citizens of the United States. The Governor surely knows what he has to do and grant CIVIL RIGHTS to all citizens.
It is great that Maine passed same-sex marriage today but NH needs to help continue the progress that New England is making, NOM (National Organization of Marriage) are airing ads and getting phone calls and emails to the governor who is already not on our side, we really need your help here in NEW HAMPSHRIE….
PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL
Governor Lynch
(603)271-2121
Email http://www4.egov.nh.gov/governor/goveforms/comments.asp
I am not going to celebrate just yet. On another note, I don’t know if any of these recent victories will have any impact with regards to Proposition 8. However, Proposition 8 should be invalidated on the grounds that outside dollars pouring in from other states interfered with California’s legal process.
Email the Gov. to sign the bill.
http://www.emailyourgovernor.com/maine-governor-john-baldacci.html
R&R – I’m pouring a toast in your honor this very minute! What clarity of thought! What wit! What a vicious pack of hounds are the Christian Taliban.
The Christian Taliban is protecting their right to tell the rest of us what we can or cannot do – all the them name of God.
Church independence on whom to marry has always been the practice, but I don’t think it actually says that anywhere in the law. By explicitly stating in their marriage equality legislation that churches DO NOT have to marry same sex couples if they don’t want to, is New Hampshire and Maine inadvertently implying that churches DO have to marry opposite sex couples even if they don’t want to?
What a tangled web they’ve woven, trying so desperately to deny loving couples the right to make legal commitments that have so little to do with anyone else. What, again, are they protecting?
Wouldn’t it be nice if ALL the religions kept their bloody noses out of everyone else’s business?? Marriage is the act of two souls, regardless of plumbing, wanting a life time (hopefully) committment to each other – nothing less, nothing more. If the religious bigots want to believe something else, so be it. But the religious Taliban does NOT have the right to impose their twisted beliefs and definitions on those of us who walk to a differnt drummer. Where in their fantasy book does it say that their beliefs MUST be forced on everyone or else?
Glad to hear this, but as far as Prop 8 goes, I would be very surprised if the CA Supreme Court had enough spine to defeat a voter refernedum (even though they should – because putting up a minority group of people’s rites to a popular vote should not have gotten to a referendum in the 1st place). Hope teh governor signs this one.
Prop 8 seems to have turned into toast the last 2 months with so much favor of marriage equality across the country and civil union laws. Now DC is going to recognize marriages performed elsewhere which will surely undermine DOMA. Lets see what the Supreme Court say about prop 8 – LOLOLOLOLOLO -
Exciting news. More state legislatures are seeing the truth about gay marriage – it’s a civil rights issue and marriage is a civil right, not a religious issue. Congratulations, Maine. Let’s hope the governor is as rational and reasonable as the house and senate.
Susan Berland
http://susanberland.synthasite.com
Hmmm…interesting.