About a quarter to 1p Eastern today, Maine joined Iowa, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont in recognizing the civil right of all persons to marry. Gov. John Baldacci is the first governor to sign a marriage equality bill; Vermont was the first state to legislatively create marriage equality for same sex couples, though by overriding Gov. Jim Douglas's veto.
From the Maine Governor's office (h/t pandagon):
“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.”
Next up, New Hampshire, where a bill has passed both state houses and awaits Gov. John Lynch's signature. New York has a bill passed through the Assembly, but not yet the State Senate, that was introduced by Gov. David Patterson.
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