Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry to Hold Interfaith Candlelight Vigils

Portland, Maine (Sunday, November 1, 2009) — This weekend, faith leaders from the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry in Maine, will hold interfaith candlelight vigils in communities across the state to remind people of all faiths to vote NO on Question 1.

“We will gather in candlelight this weekend to pray that the law granting the right, gift, and responsibility of marriage for all residents of the State of Maine will be upheld at the polls this Tuesday,” said Rev. Emily Gibson of St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Brewer.  “As people of faith, we declare that there are no second class citizens in the eyes of God, and that the rights many of us take for granted as married people belong to all couples who wish to make a lifelong commitment.”

Vigils will be held in Brewer, Machias, Augusta, Auburn, Norway – South Paris, Brunswick, Portland and Kennebunk.  Information on specific dates, times and locations is below.

Representing 18 faith traditions, the diverse coalition of active and retired clergy, believes that only marriage equality confers the full protections and dignity all Maine families.   The coalition has held discussions on marriage equality in the context of their faith traditions, invited guest pastors to speak, and hosted phonebanks.

“Believing that our faith calls us to stand on the side of love, many members of Maine’s religious communities strongly support marriage equality.  This weekend, we join together in bearing public witness to our support of a NO vote on Question 1,” said Rev. Jodi Cohen Hayashida of the First Universalist Church of Auburn.

VIGILS WILL BE HELD:

Sunday, November 1:

Brewer, from 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM, at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, 21 Holyoke Street;

Machias, at 5:00 PM, at Centre Street Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, 9 Center Street;

Augusta, from 4:00 PM to 4:30 PM, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Augusta, 69 Winthrop Street;

Auburn, from 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM, at the First Universalist Church of Auburn, 169 Pleasant Street on the Spring Street Lawn;

Brunswick, from 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM, on the Brunswick Mall, Maine Street;

Portland, from 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM, at the Williston-West Church, United Church of Christ, 32 Thomas Street;

Kennebunk, from 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM, at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, 114 Main Street.

 

NO on 1 Calls Out Admitted Misrepresentation in Political Ads

Portland, Maine (Wednesday, October 21, 2009)— Jesse Connolly, campaign manager for NO on 1/Protect Maine Equality called on Mark Mutty, the Question 1 campaign manager, to stop advertising false statements that even Mutty concedes have misled Maine voters.  In addition, Connolly called on Mutty to “rein in his supporters and end the anti-gay attacks” that have run in local newspapers and faxed anonymously to offices and homes across Maine.

Women’s and Children’s Groups Support No on 1

No on 1 has received more endorsements from Maine women’s and children’s groups today.  Several groups including the Maine Women’s Lobby, Maine National Organization for Women, Family Planning Association of Maine, and Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence were just a few who urged Mainers to vote no on question one.  Read the full release from No on 1 and statements from some of the supporting organizations after the cut.

350 Maine Lawyers Support No on 1

The campaign against same-sex marriage is becoming unraveled.  Nearly every single argument that has been publicly made in favor of a Yes vote on Question 1 has been refuted.  The claims of rising lawsuits, loss of tax exemptions, and same-sex marriage being forced on school children have all been proven wrong many times over.  (Check out my archives, Dirigo Blue, Maine Politics, Bill Nemitz, and numerous news paper Op/Eds for proof)  If you can’t see that the claims made by Yes on 1 are completely false the you just don’t want to.  Today over 350 lawyers from all over Maine have come together to urge voters to vote No on 1.  The lawyers have called the S4MM ads “blatant distortions of the law” and break down once and for all legally breakdown what LD 1020 will and wont do.  Read the full statement after the cut. 

Separating Same-Sex Marriage Fact From Fiction

Earlier, Dirigo Blue posted part of a Bangor Daily News editorial on Question 1.  The post contained a piece of the Op/Ed which addressed the claim by Yes on 1 that gay marriage will be forced to be taught to children in Maine schools if the people’s veto fails.  Those claims are false, as the Op/Ed points out.  You can read the excerpt from Dirigo Blue here.  The Op/Ed goes on to question more of the validity of the Yes on 1 claims.  It is important here to separate fact from speculations and outright falsehoods.  The remainder of Op/Ed will appear after the cut. 

Weekly Blog Round-Up: Referendum Questions, Portland GOP, & More

A  round-up of stories published Sept 27th – Oct 3rd at The Maine View and from other Maine blogs.

Faith Leaders Support Equality, Call for NO on 1 in November

Religious leaders from various faiths gathered simultaneously today in both Portland and Bangor.  The Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry in Maine (RCFMM from now on) sought to spread the message that all Maine families ought to be treated equally under the law.  The RCFMM, which represented 18 faith traditions, pledged it’s support for No on 1/Protect Maine Equality.  Full statement after the cut.

Maine Religious Leaders to Announce Support for Marriage Equality

Maine religious leaders will gather at press conferences in Portland and Bangor on Thursday, October 1, at 3:00 p.m. to endorse the NO on 1/Protect Maine Equality campaign.

The Portland press conference will take place at the Immanuel Baptist Church, 156 High Street.

Participants are:

* Rt. Rev. Steven T. Lane, IX Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine
* Rev. David Gaewski, Executive Minister, Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ (UCC)
* Rev. Deborah Davis-Johnson, Pastor, Immanuel Baptist Church (American Baptist)
* Rev. Don Rudalevige, Retired United Methodist Pastor and District Superintendent
* Anne Underwood, Founding Member, Catholics for Marriage Equality

The Bangor press conference will take place at the Hammond Street Congregational Church (UCC), 28 High Street.

Participants are:

* Rev. Kent Ulery, President, Bangor Theological Seminary (UCC)
* Rabbi Darah Lerner, Congregation Beth El (Reform)
* Rev. Susan Davies, Dean of Students and External Affairs, Bangor Theological Seminary (UCC)
* Rev. Becky Gunn, Minister, Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor (UU)

The simultaneously occurring press conferences will allow leaders representing a broad spectrum of Maine’s religious communities to gather in unity to support and endorse NO on 1 and encourage Mainers to vote for fairness and equality.

Telephone Press Conference Tomorrow With Educators On Question 1

Educators and Legislatures will gather tomorrow to speak on same-sex marriage in Maine.  They will be available for a phone conference beginning at 4pm.  The purpose of the conference is to address myths and falsehoods surrounding same-sex marriage in Maine and our schools.  No On 1/Protect Maine Equality is hosting the event.  More information after the cut.

Catholics for Marriage Equality Again Urges Support for NO on 1 to Protect Marriage Equality

Catholics for Marriage Equality are again spreading the message that not all Catholics are against same-sex marriage.  They are reaffirming their support today for No On 1/Protect Maine Equality.  C4ME is asking Catholics who support marriage equality to sign their petition and donate to the No On 1 campaign.  Links and full statement after the cut.