Gay Marriage In Maine

Ken AshfordSex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

The bill passed the Senate last week.  Conventional wisdom was that the more conservative House would balk.

But conventional wisdom was wrong.  From TPM:

From TPM Reader-Legislator SB

I'm a state rep from Bangor, Maine, and I'm in the chamber of the state House of Representatives right now as we "debate" LD 1020, Maine's marriage equality bill, which was passed by the senate last week.

I'm struck by how overwhelmingly the balance of representatives today have spoken in favor – on both sides. A Republican representative known for being a staunch conservative gave an exceptional and moving floor speech early on this morning in which he said he realized "this is not about me" and announced his support.

Yes, there's the feeling of being a part of history, and yes, there's the camaraderie of righteousness that comes from being on the right side of a pivotal issue – but the mood here very much feels like this movement is more inevitable than it was even a month ago.

It's a nice feeling.

Steve Butterfield
House district 16, Bangor, ME

And now it's been reported that the House passed the bill.  All that's left is the governor's signature (and he's been very quiet about it).

UPDATE: Meanwhile, across the Merrimack….