pogoism

Big day in gay marriage news.

Maine became the fifth state to legalize same-sex marriage. The bill passed the Maine Senate with a 31-8 vote, and just an hour later Gov. Baldacci signed it into law. Baldacci had previously been opposed to gay marriage, saying

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.

This new law does not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of  it’s beliefs. It does not require the church to perform any ceremony with which it disagrees. Instea, it reaffirms the separation of church and state. It guarantees that Maine citizens will be treated equally under Maine’s civil marriage laws, and that is the responsibility of government.

Later in the day, the New Hampshire House approved its version of the marriage bill with a narrow vote of 178-167. It’s now up to Gov. Lynch to sign it. He hasn’t given any indication of his intentions as yet.

So, that’s 5, almost 6 states down! Only 45 to go…