Twitter links: Louise, EqualityMaine, MCLU, MarryME
DONATION link: Donate to Equality Maine to help fight the impending referendum.
UPDATE: He signed it! The fundie outrage begins in 5...4...3...2...1
Governor Signs LD 1020, An Act to End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious FreedomWhen Gov. Baldacci spoke with Louise on the phone the other day (he called her at home!), he sounded like he was leaning towards signing, but didn't say it outright. I give him credit for listening -- and thumbs up for Louise taking the bull by the horns with that golden opportunity to lobby for equality.May 6, 2009
AUGUSTA - Governor John E. Baldacci today signed into law LD 1020, An Act to End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom.
"I have followed closely the debate on this issue. I have listened to both sides, as they have presented their arguments during the public hearing and on the floor of the Maine Senate and the House of Representatives. I have read many of the notes and letters sent to my office, and I have weighed my decision carefully," Governor Baldacci said. "I did not come to this decision lightly or in haste."
"I appreciate the tone brought to this debate by both sides of the issue," Governor Baldacci said. "This is an emotional issue that touches deeply many of our most important ideals and traditions. There are good, earnest and honest people on both sides of the question."
"In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions," Governor Baldacci said. "I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage."
"Article I in the Maine Constitution states that 'no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor be denied the equal protection of the laws, nor be denied the enjoyment of that person's civil rights or be discriminated against. '"
"This new law does not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of its beliefs. It does not require the church to perform any ceremony with which it disagrees. Instead, it reaffirms the separation of Church and State," Governor Baldacci said.
"It guarantees that Maine citizens will be treated equally under Maine's civil marriage laws, and that is the responsibility of government."
"Even as I sign this important legislation into law, I recognize that this may not be the final word," Governor Baldacci said. "Just as the Maine Constitution demands that all people are treated equally under the law, it also guarantees that the ultimate political power in the State belongs to the people."
"While the good and just people of Maine may determine this issue, my responsibility is to uphold the Constitution and do, as best as possible, what is right. I believe that signing this legislation is the right thing to do," Governor Baldacci said.<d.
Reactions are below the fold.
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"I'm especially proud of Maine's openly gay state legislators, who stood before their colleagues and asked to be treated equally. Their powerful and heartfelt speeches helped people understand what is at stake when we exclude certain families from the protections and benefits afforded by civil marriage," said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund.Freedom to Marry:Maine's three out state lawmakers are Sen. Larry Bliss, Rep. Terry Morrison and Rep. Jim Martin.
"Throughout weeks of conversations, constituent visits, town halls, and hearings, Maine legislators carefully listened to the stories of families, neighbors, businesses, and professional groups from around the state, and then democratically voted to end the denial of marriage that unfairly harmed gay Mainers and served no legitimate purpose," said Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry and author of Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality and Gay People's Right to Marry. "Couples that have made a personal commitment in life deserve an equal commitment under the law-and in Maine, that's called marriage."The Williams Institute, on how marriage economy will affect the state's economy (are you listening, Gov. Lynch?):Unless anti-gay forces take action, committed same-sex couples in Maine will be able to start getting married 90 days after adjournment of the legislative session, expected around the end of June. Opponents of equality are threatening to spend millions of dollars to gather signatures and mount an attack campaign to put a referendum on the November ballot.
"The fight is not over in Maine," Wolfson said. "To avoid a Prop 8-type assault in Maine, all who believe in fai rness and equality under the law must take action now and over the next several months to ensure that the people in Maine get the information they need to reject the deceptive, anti-gay campaign we are likely to see mounted."
A new research study released today by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law shows that by allowing same-sex couples to marry in Maine the state budget will experience a boost of approximately $8 million per year. This net impact will result from an increase in state income and sales tax revenue as well as savings in expenditures on state means-tested public benefit programs.Statement by Rea Carey, NGLTF Action Fund:<Today, the governor of Maine signed a bill into law that extends marriage to same-sex couples in the state.
"Extending marriage rights to same-sex couples will not only provide needed protections to same-sex coup couples in Maine, but it will also inject new tax revenue and spending into Maine's economy and state budget," explains study co-author Brad Sears, Executive Director of The Williams Institute.
In calculating the net benefit to the State, the study predicts that half of Maine's 4,644 same-sex couples, or 2,316 couples, will marry in the first three years of being able to do so. The study also projects that 15,660 non-resident same-sex couples will come to Maine to marry.
"As recent experiences in other states demonstrate, same-sex couples will travel for the right to marry and Maine is a likely tourist destination for many of those couples," noted co-author M. V. Lee Badgett, Research Director of the Williams Institute and director of the Center for Public Policy and Administration at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
"As marriage equality expands in New England, Maine has now ensured that most of its residents will marry at home instead of neighboring Vermont, Connecticut or Massachusetts," added study co-author Christopher Ramos, Researcher at the Williams Institute.
The study finds that same-sex weddings and associated tourism will generate $60 million in spending over three years, providing a boom to the state economy. Furthermore, this spending will generate an increase in sales tax revenue of about $3.1 million over three years. Marriage license fees will generate more than $500,000 for Maine's counties.
The Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy advances law and public policy through rigorous, independent research and scholarship, and disseminates its work through a variety of education programs and media to judges, legislators, lawyers, other policymakers and the public. This study can be accessed at the Williams Institute website, http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute.
"We are thrilled with Gov. John Baldacci's thoughtful and well-reasoned decision to sign this critical legislation. This is a great day for Maine, and a great day for this country. With recent marriage victories in Connecticut, Iowa and Vermont, this action affirms the national momentum building for marriage equality. From coast to coast, people are recognizing that the fundamental protections provided through civil marriage are a critical part of fairness and full equality. Through debate, dialogue and careful consideration, states are concluding that denying this basic right doesn't protect anyone; it simply places more families in harm's way and makes them more vulnerable to hardship.GLAAD:"We thank Gov. John Baldacci and the Maine Legislature for doing the right thing by supporting this legislation, and we congratulate our state partner, EqualityMaine, f or this hard-fought victory. Because of EqualityMaine's leadership, same-sex couples have won the freedom to marry in Maine. The Task Force is proud of its 5-year partnership with EqualityMaine to achieve today's victory. We will be with them every step of the way to ensure marriage equality is protected."
"Gov. Baldacci signing of the marriage equality bill represents another historic step toward obtaining the security and protections of marriage for all loving, committed couples," said GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano. "There is now important work to be done in Maine to safeguard marriage equality, and we salute Equality Maine and all whose tireless commitment to this work has brought us to this important day.""GLAAD urges media outlets to focus on the stories of loving, committed Maine couples in reporting on this story today and in the weeks to come," Giuliano added.
Thomas Farmer, chapter president of PFLAG Winston-Salem, has placed a half-page ad in the Winston-Salem Journal today and in the Winston-Salem Chronicle on Thursday, May 7, as well as a quarter page ad in YES! Weekly. That cost the organization $4,300, but the good folks there could not let the hateful words of Rep. Virginia Foxx go unchallenged. You can join and support PFLAG here. Also see the PFLAG National blog.We are sure you have seen or heard about 5th District Representative Virginia Foxx's comments on the floor of the US House of Representatives last Wednesday, April 29, 2009, about the Matthew Shepherd Hate Crimes Act. Basically, Rep. Foxx said that naming the Federal Hate Crimes Act after Matthew Shepard was a "hoax" in the sense that he was not killed because he was gay. Rather, he was killed as the result of a robbery. This has to be one of the most appalling statements we have ever heard. It is very clear that the trial record does not support her comments at all. This is one of those times when the Winston-Salem Chapter of Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) must step up and make a public statement in opposition to comments made on the US House floor by Representative Virginia Foxx.
PFLAG Winston-Salem is the only organization in the Winston-Salem area that works on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. Our Mission Statement says "Parents, Families and Friends, of Lesbians and Gays promotes the well being of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons through support - to cope with an adverse society, advocacy - to end discrimination and secure equal civil rights, and education - to enlighten an ill informed public. Our mission is directly related to the statements made by Rep. Virginia Foxx.
...The total cost for these ads was over $4,300. Yes, that is expensive for us. However, we cannot let this opportunity pass us by. us by. This is one of those rare opportunities handed to us for us to use as a "teachable moment" for the community at large. We need contributions to help underwrite the cost of these ads. So far, we have raised over $1,800. That is a great response but more is needed. If you haven't made a contribution yet, please consider doing so for yourself and or for those you love and care about. We sincerely hope individuals, faith communities, and other organizations that care about equality and justice will consider contributing toward the cost of these ads and work with PFLAG Winston-Salem to help educate the greater Winston-Salem community, not only about LGBT hate crimes, but also about issues that impact LGBT people every day.
The state's top liquor regulator, Doug Fox, is now the former top liquor regulator, as Governor Beverly Perdue demanded and received Fox's resignation after newspapers sent her a copy of the racist illustration Fox was shooting around on email. The e-mail included an altered photo of the White House that turned the South Lawn into an enormous watermelon patch. The phrase, "There goes the neighborhood ..." was printed above the photo.Of course the obvious question is why do some public officials think that sending out stuff like this is not going to blow up in their faces? As I've said before, never, ever send "humor" around like this unless you are 100% certain that the all of the recipients of your missive share your rancid, bigoted sense of humor. In his case the recipient of the email was a lobbyist Bill Hester (who represents Southern Wine & Spirits, a major liquor distributor). He declined to speak to the media.The e-mail was sent from Fox's law firm address Nov. 14 -- 10 days after Barack Obama was elected president. The message, which had been forwarded multiple times by others before reaching Fox, contained no text other than the subject line, "how true."
..."I have accepted Doug Fox's letter of resignation," Perdue said. "E-mails and images of this nature are offensive and unacceptable."
Fox, who was paid $110,000 last year, offered to stay on and help his successor settle in. Perdue, who will appoint a new chairman, declined. "The resignation will be effective immediately," said David Kochman, Perdue's communications director.
Fox also earns bonus points for *ssclown stupidity -- how could he not have seen or heard about the story about how this very same knee-slapping racist image was emailed around by Los Alamitos, California Mayor Dean GrDean Grose -- and how it cost him his job? I mean it wasn't as if it didn't make national news at the time...
You can see a copy of Fox's resignation letter here.
Related:
* CA: Orange County bigot eruption - Los Alamitos mayor sends out racist email
Last Friday, individuals and organizations gathered at the state Capitol in Salem to call for comprehensive immigration reform, fair and just wages, and an end to immigration raids that tear families apart. The event was sponsored by CAUSA, PCUN, SEIU, Voz Hispana, Rural Organizing Project, and more--and it drew over 3,000 immigrant and labor rights advocates!
Basic Rights Oregon was proud to support the May Day rally, and the ongoing work of Oregon's movement for immigrant rights. If you remember 2004’s marriage equality campaign in Oregon, you’ll remember that CAUSA, the statewide immigrant rights coalition, took a stand by publicly endorsing the No on 36 campaign, and holding conversations with members about LGBT rights. After all, both LGBT and immigrant communities know what it feels like to be marginalized. We all know what it feels like to:
- Live under laws that say we are less human;
- Be a scapegoat for society’s problems;
- Be afraid for the security of our families; and
- Feel vulnerable and unsafe because of policies, institutions and attitudes that keep us on the margins.
The struggles for immigrant rights and LGBT rights are distinct, to be sure, but we share these critical experiences as communities. And leaders in Oregon's immigrant rights movement have been staunch supporters of LGBT rights for years. That's why BRO staff and volunteers from Portland were proud to be a part of the crowd to support our coalition partners in the immigrant rights and labor movements. And that's why BRO supporters from Eugene volunteered as legal observers, to ensure that the rally and march went smoothly and peacefully.
Congratulations to all the rally organizers on a fantastic event, and thanks to the BRO volunteers who joined in!
For more photos: BRO's flickr stream
For more information: CAUSA's press release
For video of the rally: CAUSA's YouTube video
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