Thursday, May 7, 2009

Gay marriage becomes law in Maine


(Augusta, Maine) Gov. John Baldacci signed legislation Wednesday allowing same-sex marriage in Maine, minutes after it received final approval in the legislature.


Maine is the fifth state to allow gay marriage.

Up until he put his pen to the bill ,it was anyone’s guess whether he would sign or veto it. Baldacci had said previously he had not made up his mind on gay marriage.


Had he vetoed it, the bill likely would have died. It received final approval in the Senate by a slim majority, not enough to override a veto.


As the governor appeared to be equivocating, same-sex marriage advocates delivered more than 10,000 postcards asking him to support the legislation.


The new law repeals Maine’s 12-year old so-called Defense of Marriage law, which bars same-sex marriage. Under the new law, churches are not compelled to conduct same-sex weddings if it would be inconsistent with their doctrine.


The conservative Maine Marriage Alliance warned that if Baldacci signed the bill it would press for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.


The New Hampshire House will vote on a similar bill Wednesday. It already has passed the Senate, but Gov. John Lynch, who has said he believes the current civil union law works, has not said if he would veto the bill.


Same-sex marriage was already legal in three New England states - Massachusetts, Connecticut and Vermont.


Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, the Boston-based LGBT rights group that won marriage equality in court rulings in Massachusetts and Connecticut, last November launched “Six by Twelve” a campaign to legalize gay marriage throughout New England by 2012.


If same-sex marriage becomes legal in New Hampshire, it would leave only Rhode Island as the only New England state without marriage equality.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Maine House approves gay marriage


(Augusta, Maine) With a vote of 89-58, the Maine House on Tuesday gave initial approval to legislation allowing same-sex marriage.


The vote spent three hours in impassioned debate on the bill.

It received initial passage in the state Senate on April 30.


The House version and that of the Senate now must be unified and undergo a final vote before going to the desk of Gov. John Baldacci.


Whether the governor will sign it is anybody’s guess at this point. Baldacci has said he has not made up his mind on gay marriage.


Same-sex marriage advocates have delivered more than 10,000 postcards asking him to support the legislation.


The legislation would repeal Maine’s 12-year old so-called Defense of Marriage law which bars same-sex marriage and make marriage gender-neutral. It also states that churches would not be compelled to conduct same-sex weddings if it would be inconsistent with their doctrine.


The conservative Maine Marriage Alliance has said that if same-sex marriage appears to be on a track to legalization it would press for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.


The New Hampshire House will vote on a similar bill Wednesday. It already has passed the Senate but Gov John Lynch who has said he believes the current civil union law works fine has not said if he would veto the bill.


Same-sex marriage already is legal in three New England states - Massachusetts, Connecticut and Vermont.


Elsewhere, same-sex marriage is legal in Iowa. New York Gov David Paterson (D) has unveiled legislation to allow same-sex couples to marry in the Empire State and in California, the Supreme Court is expected to rule this spring on the legality of Prop 8 the voter approved measure banning gay marriage in that state.