Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

Mainers United for Marriage, the lead group in support of same-sex marriage in Maine, released a briefing memo today to fight back against incorrect information being distributed by a splinter opposition group.

In recent weeks, the Portland Daily Sun and the Bangor Daily News have run an op-ed from Erick Bennett, a political strategist who runs the Maine Equal Rights Center. In it, he claims that "same-sex couples have been able to join together in legal matrimony in Maine for eight years with the same rights and benefits of everyone else."

In the Daily Sun, his piece was titled "Same-sex Marriage's Ties to Socialism." The Bangor Daily News has since run a correction to state that the opinion piece should have said that same-sex couples "have not been able to join together in legal matrimony."

David Farmer, spokesman for Mainers United, released a lengthy memo in response to Bennett's column, saying that not only are gay and lesbian couples barred from marrying in Maine, there's also no provision for civil unions.

A story we ran weeks ago explained the differences.

Matt McTighe, campaign manager for Mainers United, said in the memo that "in form and function, domestic partnerships do not have the same meaning or protections that come with civil marriage."

"Parents don't dream of the day that their children will enter into a binding legal contract or have their domestic partnership papers filed," he said in the statement. "They dream of the day their children will marry the person they love and begin a life together, with all of the responsibilities and jobs that come with marriage."

About the Author

Subscribe to the
Open Season RSS

Open Season targets all of Maine's political wildlife, from Portland city government to the donkeys, elephants and independents stalking the Statehouse and U.S. Capitol.

John Richardson joined the Press Herald in 1990 after working as a reporter in New Jersey. He has covered a variety of beats, including marine issues, the environment and health care. He is now covering politics and focusing on Maine's U.S. Senate race.
John can be reached at 791-6324 or jrichardson@pressherald.com
On Twitter: @jrichmaine

Colin Woodard has covered politics and elections for more than two decades, from Bosnia and Bucharest to Washington, D.C., Augusta, and Portland City Hall. He has written for a wide range of national and international publications and is the author of four books, including "American Nations," a history of North America's regional cultures. He joined the Portland Press Herald at the end of April and covers political finance and lobbying, among other things.
Colin can be reached at 791-6317 or cwoodard@pressherald.com

Susan Cover has covered Maine politics for 10 years and worked in Kansas, Ohio and Rhode Island as a reporter. This year, she is focusing on covering the same-sex marriage debate for MaineToday Media.
Susan can be reached at 621-5643 or scover@mainetoday.com

Michael Shepherd joined MaineToday Media in May 2012 after graduating from the University of Maine in Orono, where he edited The Maine Campus, the student newspaper there. Until November he'll be writing the Truth Test, a recurring feature analyzing political statements and advertising.
Michael can be reached at 621-5632 or mshepherd@mainetoday.com

Subscribe to the
Open Season RSS

Previous entries