Maine the Next State to Legalize Gay Marriage

May 2, 2009 Uncategorized 3

This is starting to look like The Liberal New England blog, but the New York Times reported that the State Senate in Maine, home to the last two moderate Republican senators, has passed a bill to legalize gay marriage.  

From the story:

“The Democratic-controlled Senate voted 21 to 14 for a bill that would allow gay couples to marry starting later this year. The measure appears to have even broader support in the House of Representatives, which will take it up on Tuesday.

Gov. John Baldacci, a Democrat, used to oppose same-sex marriage. But since the bill was introduced in January, he has said he is keeping an open mind.

The vote was the latest victory for gay rights groups in New England, which are campaigning to get same-sex marriage approved in all six of the region’s states by 2012. Massachusetts and Connecticut already allow same-sex marriage, and the Vermont Legislature approved it last month.”

As a former New Englander, I’m heartened to see this region of the country lead the way in establishing equal rights for all.  As more states adopt laws allowing gay marriage, there is bound to be a federal challenge like the 1967 case Loving vs. Virginia which overturned state bans on interracial marriage.

3 Comments

  1. I am from New England (born and raised) and have lived in California for 20 years. The difference is the churches. The church in California is similar to the south. New Englanders do not drive around with fish and christian bumper stickers on their cars. Churches here in California are cultish. It’s hard to explain, you just have to go and experience both to feel the difference.

  2. This has been an amazing couple of weeks! However, let’s not be lulled into the same type of complacency that allowed Prop 8 to happen here in California. We still need to be vigilant and contact those, like Gov. Baldacci, who may be feeling a little insecure about signing a marriage equality bill into law. Keep fighting for what we know is right and just and eventually all 50 states will come along.

  3. Brian —
    I agree with you. In Boston, people love to talk about politics but no one talks about where they go to church (and they do). here, everyone wants you to join their church but few neighbors will openly discuss politics.

    Times are changing. There was a time when you kept your mouth shut here if you were a Democrat or a Liberal. While we’ve come a long way in a short time, in many parts of the county, that is still the case.

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