Voters in Maine have rejected an effort by lawmakers there to impose homosexual "marriage" in that state. Gay marriage has now lost in every single state -- 31 in all -- in which it has been put to a popular vote. Gay-rights activists had hoped to buck that trend in Maine -- known for its liberal-minded electorate -- and mounted an energetic, well-financed campaign. With 87 percent of the precincts reporting, proponents of traditional marriage had 53 percent of the votes.
"The institution of marriage has been preserved in Maine and across the nation", declared Frank Schubert, chief organizer for the winning side.
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Gay-marriage supporters held out hope that the tide would shift before
conceding defeat at 2:40 a.m. in a statement that insisted they weren't
going away. "We're in this for the long haul. For next week, and next
month, and next year -- until all Maine families are treated equally.
Because in the end, this has always been about love and family and that
will always be something worth fighting for," said Jesse Connolly,
manager of the pro-gay marriage campaign.
At issue was a law passed by the Maine Legislature last spring that
would have legalized same-sex marriage. The law was put on hold after
conservatives launched a petition drive to repeal it in a referendum.
The outcome Tuesday marked the first time voters had rejected a
gay-marriage law enacted by a legislature. When Californians put a stop
to same-sex marriage a year ago, it was in response to a court ruling,
not legislation.
Five other states have legalized gay marriage -- starting with
Massachusetts in 2004, and followed by Vermont, New Hampshire,
Connecticut and Iowa -- but all did so through legislation or court
rulings, not by popular vote. In contrast, constitutional amendments
banning gay marriage have been approved in all 30 states where they
have been on the ballot.
The defeat left some gay-marriage supporters bitter. "Our relationship
is between us," said Carla Hopkins, 38, of Mount Vernon, with partner
Victoria Eleftherio, 38, sitting on her lap outside a hotel ballroom
where gay marriage supporters had been hoping for a victory party. "How
does that affect anybody else? It's a personal thing."
The contest had been viewed by both sides as certain to have national
repercussions. Backers of traditional marriage desperately wanted to
keep their winning streak alive, while gay-rights activists sought to
blunt the argument that gay marriage was being foisted on the country
by courts and lawmakers over the will of the people.
Had Maine's law been upheld, the result would probably have energized
efforts to get another vote on gay marriage in California, and given a
boost to gay-marriage bills in New York and New Jersey.
Earlier Tuesday, before vote-counting began, marriage
traditionalist Chuck Schott of Portland warned that Maine "will have
its place in infamy" if the gay-rights side won.
Another Portland resident, Sarah Holman said she was "very torn" but
decided -- despite her conservative upbringing -- to vote in favor of
letting gays marry. "They love and they have the right to love. And we
can't tell somebody how to love," said Holman, 26.
In addition to reaching out to young people who flocked to the polls
for President Barack Obama a year ago, gay-marriage defenders tried to
appeal to Maine voters' pronounced independent streak and
live-and-let-live attitude.
The other side based many of its campaign ads on claims -- disputed by
state officials -- that the new law would mean "homosexual marriage"
would be taught in public schools.
Both sides in Maine drew volunteers and contributions from out of
state, but the money edge went to the campaign in defense of gay
marriage, Protect Maine Equality. It raised $4 million, compared with
$2.5 million for Stand for Marriage Maine.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, voters in Washington state voted on whether to
uphold or overturn a recently expanded domestic partnership law that
entitles same-sex couples to the same state-granted rights as
heterosexual married couples. With half the precincts reporting, that
race was too close to call.
In Kalamazoo, Michigan, voters approved a measure that bars discrimination based on sexual orientation.
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