Maine becomes 5th state to allow full marriage equality.
Maine becomes 5th state to allow full marriage equality.
Hours after the Maine state senate approved a marriage equality bill today, Gov. John Baldacci (D) signed the law, making Maine the fifth state to allow legal same-sex marriage. In a statement, Baldacci said he “weighed [his] decision carefully” and “did not come to this decision lightly or in haste.” He realized, he explained, that civil unions were not sufficient:
“In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions,” Governor Baldacci said. “I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage.“
Baldacci also noted that “does not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of its beliefs,” nor does it require churches to perform gay weddings.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
Wecome to the 21st century Maine!!!!
May 6th, 2009 at 12:59 pmWoo hoo!!
Equality is on the march!
May 6th, 2009 at 1:02 pmBaldacci also noted that “does not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of its beliefs,” nor does it require churches to perform gay weddings.
And that’s the crux of it. It is simply providing for equal rights for everyone – not special rights for any one group.
Can we get that writ large across the sky?
Congratulations, Maine!
May 6th, 2009 at 1:05 pmin spite of republicans, we continue to evolve and progress as a species.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:08 pmMore power to em. But just wait for the wingers start sceaming how this will ruin traditional marriage(???) Laugh out loud. Everywhere we turn around, the progress is flowing. After 8 long years of Bush and the Religious Right, we are finally seeing the end of the tunnel. It feels good.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:08 pmYEAH! This is really good news.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:10 pmNow what excuse are all these closeted right wingers going to use to keep from following through on their natural desires?
May 6th, 2009 at 1:11 pm.
Isn’t this the second State to legislate this?
.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:11 pmI’m okay with not getting married in any church or by any denominationi that doesn’t want to perform gay marriage. Why would I want to celebrate love in a place that practices hate? A civil wedding where my relationship is celebrated, and the ablity have all the rights straight couples to have, that’ll work for me.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:12 pmThank you :-)
Even though I had nothing to do with this, it feels good to be on the train heading in the right direction.
You listening, President Obama?
May 6th, 2009 at 1:15 pmSORRY-ot Whats up with Media Matters website and Media Matters County Fair?
May 6th, 2009 at 1:17 pmOne by one the states will do the right thing, despite the screaming and squawking republicans who would foist their own beliefs upon the entire country. I have yet to hear a cogent argument explaining how this is bad for heterosexual marriage.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:17 pmThis is about civil rights, equality under the law.
Good for Maine!
This is spot on. Marriage — civil marriage — should be available to same sex couples. Religious ceremonies have nothing to do with this, and should be a separate issue entirely.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:17 pmThank you Maine. The god’s will smile upon you.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:18 pm“As Maine goes so goes, the nation.”
May 6th, 2009 at 1:19 pmMay more states follow Maine’s example.
What is TP doing as to make the poor, poor showing at the following link better next year?:
http://2008.weblogawards.org/polls/best-liberal-blog/
I am having to do some rare blogging during this period, I usually blog in the summer, to help raise TP’s score back to where it was, umpteen years ago.
-James Saville Row
May 6th, 2009 at 1:20 pmhttp://publisher.amplecare.com
snappy12 Says:
-SORRY-ot Whats up with Media Matters website and Media Matters County Fair?
Is this the site you are attempting?
May 6th, 2009 at 1:21 pmhttp://mediamatters.org/
Ever so slowly we are joining the modern world.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:21 pmI think my home state of New Jersey is next up.
V is for Snark SaysWhy would I want to celebrate love in a place that practices hate?
PERFECT, PERFECT , PERFECT!!!!!! I will remember your words!!!!! PERFECT!
May 6th, 2009 at 1:22 pm“does not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of its beliefs,” nor does it require churches to perform gay weddings.
Is sanity contagious? Can we have this statement carved in stone?
May 6th, 2009 at 1:22 pmHmmm. Is anyone else noticing a geographic link between the states that are legalizing civil rights and the lack of any GNOP representation in the House?
Iowa also did the right thing. California is under our watchful eye to see how their civil rights ruling plays out in the face of the Mormon/Fundie propaganda machine.
PEACE
May 6th, 2009 at 1:25 pmI think you have totally barked up the wrong tree. Those characters are not anywhere near my horizon of reference.
I would however like a response to my question at #18 (if TP doesn’t sneak any posts inline meanwhile or later).
-James Saville Row
May 6th, 2009 at 1:26 pmhttp://publisher.amplecare.com
All of you homophobic Republicans whose marriages have been ruined by legalized gay marriage please raise your hands.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:28 pmThanks Marie, Your link doesn’t seem to work. When I go to MM it’dated fom last week.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:28 pmConsidering Pelosi said today that the administration isn’t going to try and repeal DOMA anytime soon, Maine’s news is nice to hear. Maybe it’ll put some more pressure on the administration to acknowledge what’s happening with the states.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:29 pmshoeless,
May 6th, 2009 at 1:31 pmLarry Craig looks all shifty eyed all of a sudden.
This is wonderful news. Hopefully more states will follow.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:33 pmAll of New England seems hell-bent on embarrassing us here in California.
And I’m okay with that.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:36 pmPretty sure he wasn’t addressing that to you.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:37 pmshoeless Says:
All of you homophobic Republicans whose marriages have been ruined by legalized gay marriage please raise your hands.
Multiple divorces by straight folks have done more damage than all the gay marriages in the world ever could.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:39 pmDoes this mean we have to endure another ad buy of those stupid “THE STORM IS COMING” commercials?
May 6th, 2009 at 1:41 pmWhat’s the over/under on bitblt’s time of arrival? Anyone know?
May 6th, 2009 at 1:42 pmchiroptera toasterhead Says:
Does this mean we have to endure another ad buy of those stupid “THE STORM IS COMING” commercials?
May 6th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
I hope so! :-D
May 6th, 2009 at 1:42 pmbarracks9 Says: Multiple divorces by straight folks have done more damage than all the gay marriages in the world ever could.
Shhhh. Next thing you know they will be blaming divorces on teh gay. Not that they have any problem with divorce and serial marrying.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:43 pmDepends on how long it’d take for him to drive to Maine…
May 6th, 2009 at 1:43 pmshoeless Says:
All of you homophobic Republicans whose marriages have been ruined by legalized gay marriage please raise your hands.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
____________
Everyone – I just got off the phone with ninique. It looks like we’re still married and our sanctity’s still intact.
Whew! That was a close one, eh?
May 6th, 2009 at 1:44 pmHoodathunktick Says:
Shhhh. Next thing you know they will be blaming divorces on teh gay. Not that they have any problem with divorce and serial marrying.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
__________
No no no – you’re confusing your Christianist scapegoats. Divorces are Darwin’s fault. Homosexuality was caused by the heliocentric model of the solar system. Get it straight!
May 6th, 2009 at 1:48 pmGood news, CTH! With a threat like Gay Marriage, you can’t take anything for granted nowadays.
May 6th, 2009 at 2:04 pmBEGIN*Thank the stars for the little things! I wouldn’t want to be 1 trillion light years near anything you have been breathing on, let alone your ill-dignified protoplasm.
However, I would advise a visit to one of those “manners” academy to brush your rough edges clean. And that’s all the attention you get.STOP:END!
May 6th, 2009 at 2:12 pmP.D. Says:
More power to em. But just wait for the wingers start sceaming how this will ruin traditional marriage(???)
I don’t associate with a lot of Republicans but here’s what I say to the few who tell me that gays marrying threatens traditional marriage:
So, how many marriages do you know that have ended up in divorce of where one member of the marriage has committed adultery? Then I ask them if they don’t see divorce and adultery as more of a threat to the “sanctity of marriage” than two people of the same sex getting married?
May 6th, 2009 at 2:14 pmConservativeForProgress Says:
This generalization about “homophobic Republicans” has to stop. Not every Republican is against gay marriage.
May 6th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
____________
It’s not a generalization – it’s a label pertaining to a subset of the party whose views and rhetoric are decidedly anti-gay. Yes, not all homophobes are Republicans and not all Republicans are homophobes, but “homophobic Republicans” is a perfectly acceptable term for those in the intersection of that Venn diagram.
May 6th, 2009 at 2:15 pmConservativeForProgress Says:
This generalization about “homophobic Republicans” has to stop. Not every Republican is against gay marriage.
How about you list for us the Republican politicians who are supportive of gay marriage.
May 6th, 2009 at 2:19 pmI am proud of being a Mainer today. I am so very happy for my gay friends. Truth always wins out in the long run. Unfortunately the race sometimes is too long for some people and they live their whole life oppressed.
Now can someone explain to me just how my gay friends being married makes my marriage less strong? I just don’t get it.
One pastor was saying that gay people are more sick than other people so this would drive up everyone’s cost for health care since partners would now be covered. Is he suggesting we should provide health care for gay people? What a stupid statement.
Anyway, a great day for Maine and the nation. Progress is just going to run over the Neocons.
“First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win.” –
May 6th, 2009 at 2:30 pm— Mahatma Gandhi
ConservativeForProgress Says:
You haven’t heard about Log Cabin Republicans?
May 6th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
__________
Certainly. And while I certainly don’t want to generalize, I’d wager that most if not all of them do not belong to the Republican/homophobe intersection.
May 6th, 2009 at 2:30 pmPagan_American Says:
One pastor was saying that gay people are more sick than other people so this would drive up everyone’s cost for health care since partners would now be covered. Is he suggesting we should provide health care for gay people? What a stupid statement.
May 6th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
___________
So by this pastor’s logic, the church should be in favor of divorce and against married couples having children. I mean, spouses and dependents drive up everyone’s health care costs, right?
May 6th, 2009 at 2:34 pmConservativeForProgress Says:
This generalization about “homophobic Republicans” has to stop.
I think it would when the vocal Republicans quit acting like homophobes. If there is a group of Republicans who don’t feel homophobic, it would be up to them to let the rest of the country know they exist.
May 6th, 2009 at 2:38 pmAnd, CFP, with every other marriage ending in divorce, if anyone wants to squeal about the sanctity of marriage, they might want to start there.
May 6th, 2009 at 2:44 pm“One pastor was saying that gay people are more sick than other people so this would drive up everyone’s cost for health care since partners would now be covered. Is he suggesting we should provide health care for gay people? What a stupid statement.”
Meant to say “Is he suggesting we NOT> should provide health care for gay people?”
May 6th, 2009 at 2:51 pmIt is now forgotten that one of the worst hate crimes against a gay person in the United States was conducted in downtown Bangor, Maine in the summer of 1984, when Charlie Howard, a 23 year old gay man, was beaten and thrown to his death into off the Kenduskeag Stream bridge. Here is an essay I wrote on the topic:
http://www.motleymoose.com/
May 6th, 2009 at 3:34 pmThe Dominos are falling.
Hopefully, we will soon be free of this bigotry that has plagued for so long.
May 6th, 2009 at 3:51 pmI’d like to think this was a triumph for demotic, north country libertarianism, of the “I don’t care what you do, so long as you don’t do it in public and scare the horses” variety that makes ‘government meddling’ — whether it’s land-use regulation, zoning, conservation, taxes — or overt attempts to legislate individual behavior — a red flag.
We’ll know better in the fall. There’s still a likely ‘people’s veto’ referendum to deal with. If it shares an off-year ballot with the ‘Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights’ I would expect it to pass. The anti-tax zealot vote and the bigot vote have a healthy overlap.
May 6th, 2009 at 5:03 pmMaine is racist as heck, but at least they got something right.
May 7th, 2009 at 5:16 am