The Maine Marriage Fight Is On

An anti-gay Republican group (are there any others?) is organizing opposition in Maine to last week's announcement of a coming bill to approve marriage equality in the legislature.

A Republican political action committee said it's organizing a grassroots effort to defeat a gay marriage bill that was introduced last week. The Maine Republican Project is opposing a bill to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Dean Scontras of the Maine Republican Project said his group's members were concerned about the timing of the bill. "This will simply absorb valuable legislative cycles that should be dedicated toward repairing the economic situation of so many Mainers," Scontras said. Meanwhile, Republican state Rep. Les Fossel of Alna is sponsoring a bill to ensure that couples on Maine's Domestic Partner Registry receive the same legal rights and benefits as married couples. Fossel said that currently, married couples enjoy certain rights that are denied to unmarried couples in a variety of areas, including financial benefits. Fossel said the gay marriage bill will trigger emotional debate and predicted that if it passes, it will face a people's veto initiative. He said his bill tries to find middle ground.

Got that? They don't really hate us, it's about the economy, sillies!