GLAD Applauds Marriage Legislation in Maine
GLAD applauded as marriage equality legislation was announced today in the State House in Augusta, Maine.
Couples, legislators, religious leaders, child welfare advocates and civic groups gathered for the 12:30 press conference to support the first marriage equality bill ever introduced in Maine. The bill’s main sponsor is Senator Dennis Damon (D-Trenton).
GLAD Civil Rights Project Director Mary Bonauto, a Maine resident, spoke at the 12:30 press conference today.
“Loving, committed same sex couples in my home state deserve all the rights and responsibilities of marriage,” she said. “Every day I meet couples who are raising children or planning retirement without the legal protections of marriage. It’s time to right this wrong and make Maine a better, fairer, stronger state.”
GLAD has been working in a coalition including EqualityMaine, the Maine Civil Liberties Union, and the Maine Women’s Lobby to educate the public and legislators about the harm caused when same-sex couples cannot marry. The coalition’s website, which launched today, is www.mainefreedomtomarry.org.
In New England, marriage equality legislation is being introduced this session in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island. Massachusetts and Connecticut are the two states in the nation that enjoy marriage equality, and Vermont and New Hampshire have civil unions. In November 2008, GLAD announced a “6 x 12” campaign, along with MassEquality, with the aim of bringing marriage equality to all six New England states by the year 2012.
Read the coalition press release
Watch the Video: The Way Life Should Be, Marriage in Maine
Publication: A Sampling of Legal Rights, Protections and Obligations for Married Families
Portland Press Herald: Video Cuts to Core of Marriage Issue
Bangor Daily News: Gay Rights Groups Unveil Marriage Bill
New England Cable News: Effort Underway to Legalize Gay Marriage in Maine
Village Soup/Bar Harbor Times: Damon proposes same sex marriage bill