Sean Gorham

So today I voted on Question 1 in Maine, the referendum for repealing Maine's gay-marriage law. At the time I post this, the results are almost dead even, with Yes votes (to repeal) slightly ahead:

Portland Press Herald: Elections 2009

It's early in the counting, though, and I'm sure they have yet to tally absentee ballots.

I really hope this law doesn't get repealed.

Lo Jacobs

Yes = Ban gay marriage
No = Permit gay marriage

The wording is not at all confusing, huh?

FiveThirtyEight's analysis here. I am really hopeful. But ... we all know how California turned out.

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Mocksoup Graves

I am so disappointed in 51% of those voters.

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Roxanne Blue

Maine's my home state...I had hoped for better than this but I can't say I'm surprised...

I had my life threatened just for walking a street in drag more than once... seems to be plenty of homophobes left up there.

Guess Margo and I will just have to keep our "straight" marriage license intact...

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Sooz Pascale

Damn!!

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Pol

My country still has the power to embarrass me sometimes.

At least the Washington State domestic partnership law was upheld.

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Asher Bertrand

God damn it.

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Ray Figtree

I work in West Hollywood. If it can happen in California, it can happen anywhere.

I'm talking of course about ignorance and stupidity.

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Ace

Direct democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on supper.

Jerboa Haystack

Some things to keep in mind:

Turnout was HUGE in Maine this year. In places, new ballots had to be printed to accommodate the number of voters

"No" got 47% state-wide. This is the best result so far. The numbers aren't going down. (In this case, remember a "No" vote was to uphold the Maine marriage law. A "Yes" vote was to repeal the law)

Orono (the main UMaine campus): No: 73%, Yes: 27%.
Farmington (another UMaine campus site): No: 54%, Yes: 46%
Brunswick (Bowdoin college): No: 63%, Yes: 37%
Gorham (USM): No 64%, Yes 36%

These are college towns...that is the direction things are going. Change is coming, but it is not quite here yet.

Other good spots:

Bangor: No 54%, Yes 46%
Kennebunkport (Bushies home): No 61%, Yes 39%
Bar Harbor: No 71%, Yes 29% (Wow!)
Yarmouth: No 66%, Yes 34%
Portland: No 71%, Yes 29% (University of Southern Maine satellite campus)
South Portland: No 64%, Yes 36%

All were coastal areas. Region 4, and the rural areas are what swung the vote into the Yes column.

Cindy Claveau

I don't get it. I've about given up on ever getting it.

In what way, exactly, does gay marriage threaten ANYBODY?

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Robert Jung

Same sex marriage went back and forth in Massachusetts referenda several times, but seems relatively safe at this point. ME will turn it around. I think it's inevitable.

In the meantime, though, an insult to those who took vows and were legally married.

Jerboa Haystack

In Maine the law never took effect. It was placed on hold until the outcome of the referendum.

Ingrid N

Yep yep sure sucks, just like the other times it's happened.

Now go get yourself out there and volunteer if you want to see change. Go get yourself seen.

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Roxanne Blue

Oh yeah? We just got a call from the Maine Division of Vital Records... they noted that there's no indicator of "sex" on our existing marriage license and they're issuing us a new one with me listed as the "groom". Inference of sex is not an explicit requirement they decided. That same Vital Records Division has already issued my revised birth certificate as female.

So, they know they're revising a hetero marriage certificate to a gay one...

I think you have legal precedent there. Go get married, kids! Tell the clerks who issue licenses that Vital Records says it's already legal!

Ceiri

Majorities have never voted to give more rights to minorities. That's just not the way majorities work.

Asher Bertrand

The women's suffrage movement and civil rights movement of the 50s-60s disputes that, Ceiri.

And though the result last night is deplorable, and I hate it, I'm not too discouraged. The momentum is on our side. Younger people today overwhelmingly see this as an injustice that needs to be fixed. It's a matter of time, and I don't even think it'll take all that much time.

Sean Gorham

BECAUSE GOD SAYS SO, CINDY.

You can't argue with that kind of insanity.

Bard Jameson

I Googled your question nearly verbatum and found this:

Is The Gay Marriage Debate Over? | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

While the arguments are still specious, this is perhaps the most thorough and cogent essay I've ever read about the positions against gay marriage. Of course, if this is an example of the best they can do in the way of rational argument, then it's easy to see why it takes ZOMG!-style rhetoric to move voters.

Sorry I have to run to a meeting and can't offer a synopsis - but it's a fairly interesting read (unless you've heard it all before, of course )

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Jerboa Haystack

Yeah!

Congrats on your new license.

But the bill signed by Baldacci last May never took effect. It was signed May 6th. By Maine law, the bill would have taken effect 90 days after the end of that legislative session(which was mid-June), or mid-September. Prior to that, opponents of the bill were able to raise enough signatures to place a peoples' veto on the ballot. Again, by law, the bill was then suspended pending yesterday's election results.

Ceiri

No they don't. They weren't voted on by the masses in most cases. So I'd say you're right that I was wrong to use "never", but I can also counter that women weren't a minority.

Asher Bertrand

Ugh. I'm only on the second paragraph of the article Bard linked and already they are wrong.
The definition of what marriage is and what family is has been fluid since the concepts were first created. There have indeed been times and places where gay marriages have been recognized. The Lakota "two-spirit" people, I believe (and if Sansarya is here, maybe she can better explain.) That's just the first instance that comes to mind.

A quick google search turned up more.

Asher Bertrand

Unless you imagine most of the Senate and Congress were either black, female or both, they were voted on by the non-minority.

Hana

Ceiri said they weren't voted on by the "masses". The "masses" are not the Senate or Congress.

There weren't "state votes" of all eligible voters deciding if women should have rights or if blacks should be freed as slaves.

Had there been a vote ("by the masses") in each state there would definitely still be many states where slavery was legal and women were not legally allowed equal rights with men.

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