Bishop Richard Malone of Maine’s Catholic diocese claimed during a press conference this afternoon that the Church will not actively campaign against the state’s ballot measure to approve marriage equality. But according to his rambling “pastoral letter” released today, the Church will continue to actively teach that opposite-sex marriages are superior and that “human society is vitally dependent” on not allowing same-sex couples to marry. Here’s an excerpt:

All of us are sensitive to what are clearly discriminatory acts or speech, or even appearances of being unfair or unkind. Today, the cause for the legal recognition of various human relationships is often equated with non-discrimination, fairness, equality, and civil rights. But when we say that these relationships cannot be called marriage by legal definition, we are not discriminating, but rather, we are marking the obvious and essential difference between marriage and every other form of relationship.

Considering his letter is part of a whole new “Beauty of Marriage” campaign, it’s unlikely that these teachings will be limited to Sunday school classes. After all, during the 2009 ballot initiative to overturn marriage equality, Question One, Maine’s Catholic churches took extra basket collections to support the campaign, contributing well over $550,000. In fact, the leadership of Maine’s Catholic diocese was at the forefront of that fight, with its public affairs director, Marc Mutty, leading the “Yes on 1″ campaign. In the fly-on-the-wall documentary Question One, Mutty described how he regrets his role in the “awful” campaign, and admitted that the campaign used inaccurate statements to scare voters. Watch the clips:

Ian James of Freedom to Marry Ohio “dropped off nearly 1,800 signatures to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office on Thursday as a first step in changing Ohio’s Constitution” prohibition against same-sex marriage. James, who married his partner in Canada in 2003, hopes to change the state constitution’s definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman, while protecting religious group’s freedom to “refuse to recognize or perform a ceremony of marriage.” Watch a local news profile:

Meanwhile, opponents of marriage equality are confident that they will defeat the effort. “We don’t think our children should be taught in public schools that homosexuality is the norm,” Phil Burress, president of Citizens for Community Values, said. “That’s what’s happened in these states, where they have approved same-sex marriage. Once you approve same-sex marriage, then the children are the target.”

Under Ohio law, the group will need 1,000 valid signatures to place the issue before Ohio voters this fall or possibly next year. “If DeWine approves the ballot language of the proposed amendment, it will be sent to the Ohio Ballot Board, which would determine whether the proposal can be placed on the ballot as one or multiple issues. At that point, the Freedom to Marry Coalition can begin the task of collecting the 385,253 valid signatures required to put the issue on the statewide ballot.”

Equality Ohio notes that some 32 percent of residents back marriage equality, but many support civil unions. It also estimates that the cost of getting on the ballot could run as high as $2.25 million.

Protest Organizer Bob Gilchrist

A planned Jackson, Mississippi march for LGBT equality was stopped short yesterday by police permit issues, but that didn’t prevent the 50+ gathered activists from rallying on the steps of the state Capitol. Organized by 18-year-old Bob Gilchrist with support from GetEQUAL, the protest sought to raise awareness for LGBT protections in a state that has none whatsoever. Gilchrist spoke of his own experience being bullied for being gay and called on the state to break free of its reputation for discrimination:

GILCHRIST: We’re not going to settle as second class citizens and we’re going to keep on protesting until the day that we become equal citizens… There’s a whole anti-gay culture in Mississippi and I want to battle that head on. We’re not a stigma, we’re not freaks that live underground, we’re ordinary people that happen to be gay and homosexuality is very real and you can’t pray it away.

GetEQUAL’s Robin McGehee claims that the permit insurance requirements are an intentional obstacle created “to prevent people from simply walking down the street as openly gay.” Mississippi native Zach Magee, who helped organize the protest, pointed out that “if the police can’t maintain safety while also permitting gay Mississippians’ freedom of speech, then I don’t know why they’re in the business of law enforcement.” But even without the march, the rally attracted media attention and will hopefully inspire future discussions about protecting Mississippi’s LGBT community. Watch a local report from WDAM:

Former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman has issued what may be his first public apology for his role in fomenting anti-gay sentiment during President George W. Bush’s 2004 re-election bid:

As for his role in the 2004 Bush campaign and its exploitation of marital politics, Mehlman is candid — and remorseful.

“At a personal level, I wish I had spoken out against the effort,” he says. “As I’ve been involved in the fight for marriage equality, one of the things I’ve learned is how many people were harmed by the campaigns in which I was involved. I apologize to them and tell them I am sorry. While there have been recent victories, this could still be a long struggle in which there will be setbacks, and I’ll do my part to be helpful.”

Eleven states voted on ballot measures banning same-sex marriage during the 2004 election, as conservatives hoped to bring out their base for the President. But political scientists have said that the turnout in those states “was no higher than in the 39 without them” and estimate that “the presence of these referendums likely had no effect on the outcome of the Bush-Kerry presidential contest.” Meanwhile, Mehlman — who came out as gay in 2010 — has worked to advance same-sex marriage in New York, Maryland, and New Hampshire.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) told a student at a Fort Lee high school this morning that “gay marriage” is not about extending rights to gay and lesbian Americans and insisted that it would “change the way we’ve governed our society”:

Q: His, chris christie, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Recently you passed an anti-bullying law, which I really am appreciative for, because bullying should not be allowed in the state of New Jersey, so i really thank you for that. However, one of the main reasons why kids even do get bullied in school is whether or not they’re homosexual. And recently there has been a bill to allow gay rights in the state of New Jersey. Can you tell me what was your decision to veto the bill, because I heard that you had vetoed the bill.

CHRISTIE: I did veto a bill on gay marriage, not on gay rights. And gay rights are protected and protected aggressively in New Jersey. But listen, this is something I feel strongly about. I think marriage is between one man and one woman, but I also know that people have very different opinions about that in our state. So what I’ve said to folks after vetoing the bill, let’s put it on the ballot. If a majority of people in New Jersey want to have same-sex marriage, then vote for it and I’ll be governed by it. But I don’t think that’s a decision that should be made by 121 people in Trenton alone. It’s a major change in the way we’ve governed our society.

Watch it:

Since Christie vetoed the measure, support for marriage equality has increased in the state. Fifty-seven percent of residents siad they would approve of a same-sex marriage law, but 67 percent supported Christie’s idea to decide the issue through a referendum.