It’s *really* *hard* to campaign against fears of what “might” happen should a state get marriage equality. People really need a year or two of experiencing it before they can let go of irrational fears. For example, there’s no way they’ll be able to reverse Iowa, because they can’t attempt to take it away for a year or two…by then, the truth will win out, because they will have had the experience of marriage equality.

Every time it’s been close in the polls, we’ve lost.

I *hate* that our rights are up for a vote….

With math like this, it’s no wonder Bush got elected in 2000.

Honestly, the best way you can keep up with our movement is to visit blogs. Personally, I frequent Pam’s House Blend (pamshouseblend.com) and they have Mainers covering it on an almost daily basis.

If you want specifics on how we’re doing this? People are flying in from across the country on ‘volunteer vacations’ to help canvass, phone bank, etc. Several Blenders are doing that, themselves. The ActBlue page donating to No on 1 from PHB is in the top 10 or so contributors, I think.

Every ad that Yes on 1 has rolled out has been immediately, quickly and succinctly countered by the No on 1 campaign. We have outfunded them by millions of dollars. They are $460,000 in debt right now and we are still going strong.

The National Organization of Marriage is now being investigated by the Maine Council of Ethics. They are the second largest donor, as stated in this article.

Catholics are leaving their churches in droves to protest against the Diocese, forming the ‘Catholics for Marriage Equality’. Did I mention that Evanna Lynch, the girl that plays Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter movies, is coming to Maine on the 23rd to host a concert with the ‘Harry Potter Alliance’, asking ‘What Would Dumbledore Do?’ to support No on 1?

Just about every major newspaper in Maine has come out with full-fledged, front-page articles pointing out the lies of the Yes on 1 campaign.

Various legal and psychological associations stationed in Maine have released statements endorsing the No on 1 campaign.

No on 1 realizes that this is an off-year election, so they’ve been specifically visiting college campuses to speak to the students and phone banking single people- the ones least likely to vote in this situation.

Seriously- WE CAN WIN THIS. I CANNOT stress how powerful a statement it will be if we, for the first time ever, successfully defend our civil rights. It’ll be a total trifecta- it was approved by the legislature, approved by the executive governor, AND withstood the will of the people!

And again, one last plug: pamshouseblend.com . Probably the best place you can go to get real, by-the-hour updates on gay-related and political news.

Please comment on the “get out the vote” efforts that are being organized in Maine. And what are they doing to counter the red herring education commercials?

We can’t let another group defeat us, deny our basic rights through the use of lies and misrepresentation and fear! especially cloaked in religion and morality…

I donated and now I’m holding my breath and hoping for all of you.

Could someone post addresses of places we can write? Op/ed letters, letters to the ed, etc.? Is there something we can do from the midwest to support the fight in Maine?

However, I need to clarify, as you say, they cannot endorse candidates or tell their flock who to vote for if they want to remain tax exempt.

But you say they cross that line every time an equality issue comes up. I don’t see how, they are issue advocating, not candidate advocating. This is ok by IRS rules.

It is a very important distinction, because if we are going to use tax exemption as a stick, we need to change the law so they can’t do issue advocacy either. I happen to think that is very, very difficult. If they give a Leviticus sermon, or they advocating for a yes on 1 vote for example?

Gay people exist, as we know, and children will ask questions. It is better to develop age-appropriate responses to real questions students may ask than to leave it up to teachers to decide how deeply to delve or how accepting to be.

Marriage equality exists, regardless of Maine’s unconstitutional use of the referendum process or the result either way. So why wouldn’t teachers answer children’s questions about this or any other subject?

This exact same discussion, by the way, came up in the 1980s over HIV education.