Maine defeats marriage

My aunts in Maine aren’t going to be considered married there anytime soon, now that state voters passed a referendum repealing their marriage law. This is particularly upsetting for me since I vividly recall phoning them to let them know the governor had signed the marriage bill into law, and they were so happy. But a petition blocked it before it went into effect, so the state never recognized their marriage, and it looks like it won’t for a while yet.

It’s extremely frustrating to see people’s basic rights put up to a popular vote. People complain about the LGBT community pushing too hard, but if you go back a few decades you’ll see civil rights victories that seemed impossible. We’re only “pushing” for what’s rightfully ours, and I’m confident we’ll get there eventually. It’s just going to keep being a bumpy road for a while.

In somewhat more encouraging news, it appears a referendum to affirm “everything but marriage” domestic partnerships is ahead in Washington. We should know today.

~ by gayinpublic on November 4, 2009.