Lisa, Lisa, Merrill, and Nopa: volunteers from Oxford County phone bank for equality
It’s official: this week Gov. Baldacci signed the proclamation certifying that enough signatures had been gathered to put the same-sex marriage law he signed in May on the ballot November 3rd.
“I fully support this legislation, and believe it guarantees that all Maine citizens are treated equally under our State’s civil marriage laws,”Governor Baldacci said. “But I also have a Constitutional obligation to set the date for the election once the Secretary of State has certified that enough signatures have been submitted. I am confident that Maine voters will make the right decision on this important issue when they cast their ballots in the fall.”
The No on 1: Protect Maine Equality campaign is wasting no time ensuring victory. Yesterday, the campaign became the first on TV with two new ads. One ad chronicles Sam Putnam of Portland, who plays football and baseball, and is the pride and joy of his mother, Jennifer and her partner, Michelle. For Sam, it’s pretty basic — this is his family and he wants them to be valued and treated equally in Maine.
The second ad features Bill Witten of Yarmouth, a former college football player and U.S. Marine. Bill has two daughters — one gay and one straight. For Bill, it’s simple — he wants both his girls treated fairly and equally, and that includes each being able to marry the person they love most in the world.
Across the state, organizers are building teams of volunteers and contacting voters to make sure that we have every vote to win in November. As I continue the work that I have been doing in Maine on behalf of HRC since January, I know that losing is not an option. We have to want to protect marriage equality more than our opposition cares about taking it away. If Maine wins this fight in November, they will be the first state in the country to ever defend the freedom of same-sex couples to marry at the ballot box. This historic victory is essential to securing equal rights for LGBT persons across the country. Winning this battle for marriage equality will take a commitment of time and an investment of money. Get involved at www.hrc.org/mainepac.
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