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On Tuesday voters rejected a state law that would have allowed same-sex couples to wed in Maine. The repeal comes just six months after the measure was passed by the Maine legislature and signed by the Democratic Governor.
Maine voters, known for their moderate, independent-minded views,would have been the sixth state in the country to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry, but instead becomes the 31st state to oppose the unions based on popular vote. They would have been the first to endorse same-sex marriage in a statewide ballot. Alas, intolerance prevails.
From Time (excerpt): Mainers' 53-47 vote to reject gay marriage does more than simply slap down a law that just six months ago had made Maine the U.S.'s second state to permit same-sex couples to wed. With voters thronging to the polls, the closely watched — and ultimately not very close — vote extended the winning streak of gay-marriage opponents nationwide, who have now prevailed in more than 30 straight state elections over whether to allow gays to marry. Just like Californians one year ago, Maine voters insisted on having their say on an issue that simply will not go away.
Opponents of gay marriage are heralding the vote in Maine as proof that the country remains staunchly opposed to gay marriage. Of course, opponents also spent a fortune fostering the ‘gay contagion, they will convert our children,’ argument. This is the misguided notion that public schools would begin teaching children about unions between same-sex couples, which would lead to more homosexuals. Preposterous premise, but highly effective for fanning the glowing embers of homophobia.
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Twisting the gay rights debate into a child welfare issue aggravates me. Homosexuality is already in the schools, but it is a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ system due entirely to the negative social stigma attached to it by adults passing on a legacy of bigotry and intolerance to their children, which creates an atmosphere of intimidation and hazard for LGBT kids in the school system. Every member of the LGBT community is someone’s child. The implication is that only heterosexual children matter.
Whereas I am disappointed by the results of the Maine vote, I expect gay rights to be an uphill battle. I expect equal rights for any marginalized minority to be a time consuming, frustrating effort to overcome the misperceptions and biases of the narrow minded majority. Furthermore, I don’t expect enormous social progress to be achieved during a recession. Humans are rarely amenable to discussions about social equality during periods of resource scarcity. However, it is vital to continue to press politically, legally and socially until civil protections and benefits are available to all citizens. Civil rights denied to one group are civil rights at risk for other groups.
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