Catholic church seeks to derail gay marriage victory in Maine

July 13, 3:13 AMInternational LGBT Issues ExaminerKelvin Lynch

Previous Next

37 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the International LGBT Issues Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

           Maine Gov. John Baldacci

The Maine legislature and Governor John Baldacci legalized same-sex marriage in the state back in May.  But now the Roman Catholic Church says it has gathered enough signatures to introduce a Prop 8-like ballot referendum that would prevent the law from taking effect.

According to 365gay.com, Mark Mutty of the Stand for Marriage Maine coalition said Wednesday it took four weeks to gather the more than 55,000 signatures necessary to put gay marriage to a vote. The law allowing gay marriage was scheduled to take effect Sept. 12, but will be put on hold after the signatures are submitted and certified.

The Stand for Marriage Maine organization and website is a creation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, which has encouraged its congregation to "Act now to make your position known on the same-sex marriage bill!"

Even though the law passed, the church's website still says,

"In spite of the fact that the bill hasn’t even been printed yet, E-mails and calls in support of Gay-Lesbian marriage are being sent to legislators in unprecedented numbers. These actions are causing some legislators to be inclined to support the bill that otherwise would not.

Your call or E mail to your Representative and Senator NOW will make all the difference. This is an extremely important issue that will have lasting negative consequences for families and society unless we stand up for the protection of marriage before it is too late."

Critics are calling the church's involvement in a poltical cause illegal and are asking American citizens to report this violation to the IRS.  People who report the church may be entitled to a monetary reward.

The IRS specifically prohibits tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, which includes chartities and churches, from engaging in any political campaign activity.  Churches and other 501(c)(3) organizations can engage in a limited amount of lobbying (including ballot measures) and advocate for or against issues that are in the political arena.  The amount of lobbying or advocating allowable is determined by the IRS, but it would seem setting up a national website that has collected 55,000 signatures to date exceeds allowable limits.

Gay and lesbian acivitists and advocates nationwide are shocked and angered that the Catholic church has so openly engaged in this effort to take away the legal rights of LGBT citizens of Maine.  It is the same tactic that Utah Mormons and New Jersey's National Organization for Marriage (NOM) used to get Proposition 8 on the ballot in California. 

What is most bothersome is the fact that religious groups feel they have the right to influence politics.  It appears to be a growning trend, thanks to the success of Prop 8 and seemingly lax oversight by the IRS.  Have we forgotten that the United States was founded on the principle of separation of church and State?

Let's hope the people of Maine don't allow a replay of the California Prop 8 circus in their home state.

Scroll down to leave comments.