Obama Blamed for Maine Setback
November 06, 2009
With voters in Maine having effectively stripped LGBT couples of the right to marry, activists are venting their frustration at President Barack Obama, who remained silent before and after Tuesday’s vote.
Anti-equality proponents hailed the Maine victory and hope it will force politicians in other states to think twice about supporting same-sex marriage.
"Every time the citizens have voted on marriage, they have always sided with natural marriage," said Mathew Staver of the Florida-based Christian legal group Liberty Counsel. "Maine dramatically illustrates the will of the people, and politicians should wake up and listen."
The law was repealed by a margin of 6 percent, with 53 per cent of voters approving and 47 per cent voting to keep the law in place.
When pressed about Tuesday’s vote, the White House had no comment.
The setback in Maine reduces the number of states which permit same-sex marriage to five. Either through legislation or court decisions, gay marriage is allowed in Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Iowa.
Obama reiterated his promise to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell to gay rights activists last month, reassuring them that he is on their side despite not indicating when he would toss out the discriminatory ban.
Gay marriage activists blamed Tuesday’s vote on the onslaught of television ads aimed at irrationally scaring voters. They also blame Obama for keeping mum.
"President Obama missed an opportunity to state his position against these discriminatory attacks with the clarity and moral imperative that would have helped in this close fight," said Evan Wolfson of Freedom to Marry. "The anti-gay forces are throwing millions of dollars into various unsubtle ads aimed at scaring people, so subtle statements from the White House are not enough."
While pockets of the United States are an exception, the country overall contains some of the most hostile laws against LGBT persons in the developed world, with more than half of US states prohibiting same-sex marriage.
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