Last April, the Maine Legislature successfully passed a marriage bill that Governor John Balducci signed into law in May. And now the anti-gays, (you know, like NOM and the "Gathering Storm" ads) have the issue back on the ballot again under the moniker of Question 1, an attempt to re-ban gay marriage for all Mainers. Sound familiar?
I have a feeling that these Prop. 8 copycat battles are doomed to rage for quite awhile as long as the gay-haters have money on their side. The No On 8 Campaign in California tried its best, but one of the crucial things we missed was putting a positive image of gays in our advertising. Do you remember the No On 8 commercials? They promoted equal rights, had some big political figures like Diane Feinstein, yet were completely devoid of gays (at least the ones I saw on the major networks all the time). Sadly, all those on YouTube did not reach a very large audience, but the major funding from the Mormon and Catholic Churches ensured that the Yes on 8 ads popped into our living rooms, sports bars, and coffee shops daily.
"Yes, the photographers had me suck on a lemon in order to achieve this creepy, disapproving look on my face"
Californians were repeatedly blasted with images of a little girl announcing to her parents that she read a book in school about a prince marrying another prince and therefore she wanted to marry a princess.
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I'm having trouble following the logic here, but this ad appears to suggest that the idea of two men kissing is so repulsive that all young girls exposed to it will immediately become lesbians.
"You know the only reason I'm marrying you is because thinking about two guys together grosses me out, right?"
These ads were also full of "concerned citizens" claiming that gay marriage threatened their marriages and insisting that taking away gay people's right to marry did not take away any rights (What??). The haters were using the best weapon in their arsenal: children, and in the end, deflected the issue completely away from equality and focused on how the two married dudes down the street were somehow capable of turning your daughter into a lesbian. Due to the rampant fear-mongering, Church money, and distraction-based ad campaigns, Prop 8 narrowly passed on November 3rd, hitting us all with a serious buzz kill in the midst of Obama-rama. Le sigh.
"Your heart is full of unwashed socks. Your soul is full of gunk, Mr. Grinch"
Luckily for the gay Mainers (kind of sounds like a sports team) the No On 1 people learned from our mistakes here in California and have made a series of ads focused on gay people and their families and how marriage will give them the legal and social protections they need in order to provide the best life they can for their children and each other. The anti-gay-marriage people claim that they are trying to "protect children," and I must question how not letting both parents visit their sick child in the hospital because one is not biologically the mother or father is protecting these kids? Here's one of the great ads that Maine made in support of gay families:
Married Gay Parents Save the Rainforest! And, you know, protect children...
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Even senior citizens, long-associated with bigotry and inflexibility on issues, stepped up to the plate to let their voices be heard in support of marriage equality. Maybe it's because I have a soft spot for old people, but these ads are seriously the most endearing thing I have seen in the fight for marriage equality. I wish this guy were my grandpa:
This video could sway Ebenezer Scrooge:
We only have until November 3rd to aid the No One 1 people and ensure hate does not again enshrine discrimination into a state constitution. Let's hope the people of Maine don't repeat California's Big Mistake.
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