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The Christian Civic League of Maine's Mike Hein calls Pam's House Blend:
"a leading source of radical homosexual propaganda, anti-Christian bigotry, and radical transgender advocacy."
He is "praying that Pam Spaulding will "turn away from her wicked and sinful promotion of homosexual behavior."
(CCLM's web site, 10/15/07)
Ex-gay "Christian" activist James Hartline on Pam:
"I have been mocked over and over again by ungodly and unprincipled anti-christian lesbians."
(from "Six Years In Sodom: From The Journal Of James Hartline," 9/4/2006, written from the "homosexual stronghold" of Hillcrest in San Diego)."Pam is a 'twisted lesbian sister' and an 'embittered lesbian' of the 'self-imposed gutteral experiences of the gay ghetto.'" -- 9/5/2008
Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth Against Homosexuality heartily endorses the Blend, calling Pam:
A "vicious anti-Christian lesbian activist."
(Concerned Women for America's radio show [9:15], 1/25/07)
"A nutty lesbian blogger."
(MassResistance radio show [16:25], 2/3/07)
Pam's House Blend always seems to find these sick f*cks. The area of the country she is in? The home state of her wife? I know, they are everywhere. Pam just does such a great job of bringing them out into the light.
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who monitors yours Bevis ?? Just thought I would drop you a line,so the rest of your life is not wasted.
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Wed May 06, 2009 at 12:15:00 PM EDT
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| Louise just emailed me to say that it in minutes a decision will be made by Gov. Baldacci about whether he will sign the marriage equality bill when it hits his desk. She was told to head to the governor's office to get the news.
Twitter links: Louise, EqualityMaine, MCLU, MarryME
DONATION link: Donate to Equality Maine to help fight the impending referendum.
UPDATE: He signed it! The fundie outrage begins in 5...4...3...2...1 Governor Signs LD 1020, An Act to End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom
May 6, 2009
AUGUSTA - Governor John E. Baldacci today signed into law LD 1020, An Act to End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom.
"I have followed closely the debate on this issue. I have listened to both sides, as they have presented their arguments during the public hearing and on the floor of the Maine Senate and the House of Representatives. I have read many of the notes and letters sent to my office, and I have weighed my decision carefully," Governor Baldacci said. "I did not come to this decision lightly or in haste."
"I appreciate the tone brought to this debate by both sides of the issue," Governor Baldacci said. "This is an emotional issue that touches deeply many of our most important ideals and traditions. There are good, earnest and honest people on both sides of the question."
"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."
"Even as I sign this important legislation into law, I recognize that this may not be the final word," Governor Baldacci said. "Just as the Maine Constitution demands that all people are treated equally under the law, it also guarantees that the ultimate political power in the State belongs to the people."
"While the good and just people of Maine may determine this issue, my responsibility is to uphold the Constitution and do, as best as possible, what is right. I believe that signing this legislation is the right thing to do," Governor Baldacci said. When Gov. Baldacci spoke with Louise on the phone the other day (he called her at home!), he sounded like he was leaning towards signing, but didn't say it outright. I give him credit for listening -- and thumbs up for Louise taking the bull by the horns with that golden opportunity to lobby for equality.
Reactions are below the fold.
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| Pam Spaulding :: BREAKING: Maine Gov. Baldacci signs marriage equality bill |
Victory Fund: "I'm especially proud of Maine's openly gay state legislators, who stood before their colleagues and asked to be treated equally. Their powerful and heartfelt speeches helped people understand what is at stake when we exclude certain families from the protections and benefits afforded by civil marriage," said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund.
Maine's three out state lawmakers are Sen. Larry Bliss, Rep. Terry Morrison and Rep. Jim Martin. Freedom to Marry:"Throughout weeks of conversations, constituent visits, town halls, and hearings, Maine legislators carefully listened to the stories of families, neighbors, businesses, and professional groups from around the state, and then democratically voted to end the denial of marriage that unfairly harmed gay Mainers and served no legitimate purpose," said Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry and author of Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality and Gay People's Right to Marry. "Couples that have made a personal commitment in life deserve an equal commitment under the law-and in Maine, that's called marriage."
Unless anti-gay forces take action, committed same-sex couples in Maine will be able to start getting married 90 days after adjournment of the legislative session, expected around the end of June. Opponents of equality are threatening to spend millions of dollars to gather signatures and mount an attack campaign to put a referendum on the November ballot.
"The fight is not over in Maine," Wolfson said. "To avoid a Prop 8-type assault in Maine, all who believe in fairness and equality under the law must take action now and over the next several months to ensure that the people in Maine get the information they need to reject the deceptive, anti-gay campaign we are likely to see mounted." The Williams Institute, on how marriage economy will affect the state's economy (are you listening, Gov. Lynch?):A new research study released today by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law shows that by allowing same-sex couples to marry in Maine the state budget will experience a boost of approximately $8 million per year. This net impact will result from an increase in state income and sales tax revenue as well as savings in expenditures on state means-tested public benefit programs.
Today, the governor of Maine signed a bill into law that extends marriage to same-sex couples in the state.
"Extending marriage rights to same-sex couples will not only provide needed protections to same-sex couples in Maine, but it will also inject new tax revenue and spending into Maine's economy and state budget," explains study co-author Brad Sears, Executive Director of The Williams Institute.
In calculating the net benefit to the State, the study predicts that half of Maine's 4,644 same-sex couples, or 2,316 couples, will marry in the first three years of being able to do so. The study also projects that 15,660 non-resident same-sex couples will come to Maine to marry.
"As recent experiences in other states demonstrate, same-sex couples will travel for the right to marry and Maine is a likely tourist destination for many of those couples," noted co-author M. V. Lee Badgett, Research Director of the Williams Institute and director of the Center for Public Policy and Administration at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
"As marriage equality expands in New England, Maine has now ensured that most of its residents will marry at home instead of neighboring Vermont, Connecticut or Massachusetts," added study co-author Christopher Ramos, Researcher at the Williams Institute.
The study finds that same-sex weddings and associated tourism will generate $60 million in spending over three years, providing a boom to the state economy. Furthermore, this spending will generate an increase in sales tax revenue of about $3.1 million over three years. Marriage license fees will generate more than $500,000 for Maine's counties.
The Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy advances law and public policy through rigorous, independent research and scholarship, and disseminates its work through a variety of education programs and media to judges, legislators, lawyers, other policymakers and the public. This study can be accessed at the Williams Institute website, http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute. Statement by Rea Carey, NGLTF Action Fund:<"We are thrilled with Gov. John Baldacci's thoughtful and well-reasoned decision to sign this critical legislation. This is a great day for Maine, and a great day for this country. With recent marriage victories in Connecticut, Iowa and Vermont, this action affirms the national momentum building for marriage equality. From coast to coast, people are recognizing that the fundamental protections provided through civil marriage are a critical part of fairness and full equality. Through debate, dialogue and careful consideration, states are concluding that denying this basic right doesn't protect anyone; it simply places more families in harm's way and makes them more vulnerable to hardship.
"We thank Gov. John Baldacci and the Maine Legislature for doing the right thing by supporting this legislation, and we congratulate our state partner, EqualityMaine, for this hard-fought victory. Because of EqualityMaine's leadership, same-sex couples have won the freedom to marry in Maine. The Task Force is proud of its 5-year partnership with EqualityMaine to achieve today's victory. We will be with them every step of the way to ensure marriage equality is protected." GLAAD: "Gov. Baldacci signing of the marriage equality bill represents another historic step toward obtaining the security and protections of marriage for all loving, committed couples," said GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano. "There is now important work to be done in Maine to safeguard marriage equality, and we salute Equality Maine and all whose tireless commitment to this work has brought us to this important day."
"GLAAD urges media outlets to focus on the stories of loving, committed Maine couples in reporting on this story today and in the weeks to come," Giuliano added. |
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