Vote 89-58. Bill moves on to governor so long as a roll call vote scheduled for later today goes accordingly. Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us Tagged:
Rep. James R. Martin testifying on the Maine House floor (rush transcript): "I've been with my partner 14 years. … I'm sorry he could not be her e today to witness this debate. … Next year will be the 10th anniversary of [our commitment] ceremony. I'm hoping that on that 10th anniversary we'll be able to [...]
A "minor" three-car (but no injuries) accident on Sunday that embroiled Portland Mayor Sam Adams has some asking whether alcohol was involved. Adams, who's been fingered for allegedly lying about the extent of his relationship with a then-underage Beau Breedlove, says there was no alcohol involved. CONTINUED » Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us Tagged: Alcohol, [...]
That’s right folks, Pink Tuesday has been put on hold. We appreciate all those who supported the night and it’s with a heavy heart that we announce that Pink Tuesday is no longer……for now. We thank Paul and the staff at Palomino’s and we understand the tough decision they had to make. While they are and always [...]
We are the people of the Central Valley and we need our voices heard. Come join the Courage Campaign to let the Central Valley hear OUR voices. www.couragecampaign.com/equalityteams Our battle is long from over and we must come together to make a difference. For more information contact: Anthony Ash at 559-288-7537 or at ant_thon_e@yahoo.com [...]
(Related link below has all the audio/video feeds as well as 4 Twitters...)
Just got this lovely and extremely helpful from Gerald at "Turn Maine Blue":
I'll be hosting a live blog about L.D. 1020 today - I would be most appreciative if you would mention that to your readers, and honored if you would stop by to leave some comments.
Cheers
Gerald Weinand
Editor, Turn Maine Blue
Rockland
MANY THANKS to Gerald (who has a wonderful site, btw)...
I'm set up and about to tweet; a big tour bus of elderly couples just pulled up to the Statehouse a minute ago and the TV camera crews have long since been here.
HOUSE SESSION BEGINS AT 10 AM.
Fingers crossed that today is a great day for all Mainers!
Related: It's Official! Maine House To Vote On LD 1020 Tomorrow
You knew it was only a matter of time before another thing that Maggie's pious National Organization for Marriage touches blows up in its face. Nude photos of Miss Pageant -Paid-for-Jugs-for-Jesus have surfaced and the devoted "Christian" is forced to explain herself. Of course she's just a victim, right? Even a bible-beating homophobic gal's got to make a living. (PopCrunch):Alicia Jacobs, Entertainment Reporter at KVBC in Las Vegas, has seen all six of the photos and says some are much more revealing. Alicia believes the flicks may have been taken after Carrie's pageant-financed breast augmentation about six weeks ago.And the fun made the Today Show:Hmmm...These explosive pictures could be devastating for Miss California, whose anti-gay marriage campaign recently resulted in a partnership with the National Organization for Marriage and helped to make her increasingly popular with right-wing conservatives.
Miss Prejean's statement:
"I am a Christian, and I am a model. Models pose for pictures, including lingerie and swimwear photos. Recently photos taken of me as a teenager have been released surreptitiously to a tabloid Web site that openly mocks me for my Christian faith. I am not perfect, and I will never claim to be. But these attacks on me and others who speak in defense of traditional marriage are intolerant and offensive. While we may not agree on every issue, we should show respect for others' opinions and not try to silence them through vicious and mean-spirited attacks."
It's hard to know where to begin with Phillip J. Chessler's screed in a Tennessee publication called the Crossville Chronicle. "Ending 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is a bad idea." The homo-hysteria reigns supreme. What will happened if DADT is repealed? Chesser sees a armegeddon.
First, people who will not send their sons on overnight camping trips with openly homosexual male scoutmasters, and this is most people, will do everything they can to keep their sons from enlisting. That widespread social attitude was decisively demonstrated in the recent election in California where Proposition 8, which banned same sex marriage, passed by a comfortable majority.He spends the next few paragraphs talking about the Prada Papa Ratzi's pedophiles and rapists, then tries to make a feeble connection to DADT.Next, discouraging heterosexual males from service will change the culture of the services. This fact is well established by the parallel example in my Catholic Church. Faithful Catholic writer Michael Rose's study of Catholic seminaries, "Goodbye, Good Men," presents overwhelming evidence that a lavender mafia em erged in the post Vatican II Catholic Church, gained control of admissions in many seminaries, and literally pushed away young, strongly faithful heterosexual men who gave their full assent to the church's teachings on sexuality.
Now imagine what can happen in the military, another hierarchical organization but one where leaders have much more authority, when openly homosexual men and women are allowed to serve. This will drastically change and cause great harm to the cultural cohesion of the military and naval services. As noted above, heterosexual male enlistments will drastically decline, and just like the church, homosexual leaders will emerge to influence promotions and leadership assignments. At least in the church they have to hide their sexual perversions, but if allowed to operate openly in the military, they wily will achieve positions of authority where they can coerce their subordinates, something which happens now regularly with women serving in close situations with men.So this is what it's about -- the rampant abuse of female service members by their male colleagues is out of control, and the opponents of lifting the ban predict that men will now receive the same criminal treatment from the newly out predatory gay monster in military garb.
The sorry thing about this is that Congress and the president are so concerned about the reaction of bigots like this (particularly if they are retired military brass) that they are reluctant to move to repeal an onerous policy like DADT.
After nearly a dozen hours of hearing testimony and a long morning of floor debate, Maine's House of Representatives today voted to approve LD 1020, a marriage equality bill, by a 89-58 vote. Yep, that's right--Maine has just won marriage equality!The legislature also voted 85-62 not to send the bill directly to the ballot for a popular vote. Opponents may still choose to run an initiative to repeal the law, but today, the legislature decided not to facilitate that process for anti-LGBT activists.
The bill now moves to Governor John Baldacci's desk. Governor Baldacci still hasn't stated whether he intends to sign or veto the bill, but, accto the bill, but, according to blogger Pam Spaulding of Pam's House Blend, he has hinted he may support it.
Congratulations to Equality Maine for all their stellar work!
Tim and Mike may very well be perfect for each other. They both like classical music and good films. They can talk for hours or just be tor each other. They both like classical music and good films. They can talk for hours or just be together in silence. But they’ve got one little challenge: Mike lives in Oregon and Tim lives 4,600 miles away in Edinburgh, UK. They met online, and through the miracle of SKYPE, got to know one another really well. Tim says, "We hit it off early on, had an instant connection. We have plans to stay together in the long term." And so this week, Tim made the big trek to visit Mike in person here in Oregon. While in town, Tim stopped by Basic Rights Oregon’s Portland office to tell his story. Tim told us, "We’ve looked at our options to figure out how to live together permanently. Because we are a same-sex couple, we can’t just get married and then apply for immigration status. I can apply for a permanent work visa. But this is a complicated and cumbersome process -- you have to have your job lined up and have the employer sponsor your application. Even if we were lucky, this would only get us a couple years together. Eventually, I would have to leave the country." He and Mike aren’t alone. Immigration Equality estimates that there are roughly 40,000 binational same-sex couples -- where one partner is a U.S. citizen and the other partner isn’t. They considered getting on Oregon domestic partnership. But their lawyer told them that this could create a problem with immigration in the long run. It’s crazy to think that our laws are set up to prevent them from committing to take responsibility for each other. Although 19 nations around the world allow their citizens to sponsor their same sex partners for immigration benefits, the United States does not recognize same-sex relationships for immigration purposes. And because of the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman, even same sex couples who have been legally married in the four US states that uphold the freedom to marry will not be able to immigrate. Every day caring and committed couples are forced to choose between the partner they love and the country they love. But there is a solution. The Uniting American Families Act (H.R. 1024 / S. 424) would provide a way for gay and lesbian couples to sponsor their partner for immigration. If you want to help make sure that Tim and Mike and other binational couples can build a life together, call Congress today and encourage your Representative and Senators to support HR 1024 / S 424. You can reach the Congressional switchboard at 202-224-2131.
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