MAINE EVENT

Poll Shows Majority Of Mainers Support Marriage Equality

A day after residents of Portland, Maine, celebrated Pride, a new poll shows that majority of people in the Pine Tree State support an upcoming ballot initiative to legalize same-sex marriage.

Conducted by MassINC Polling Group, the survey shows that 55% of the 506 Maine voters interviewed favored the measure, while only36% were opposed to it.

Mainers United for Marriage‘s Matt McTighe says the results are consistent with the sea change we’re seeing nationwide: “In the past two years, we’ve had more than 88,000 one-on-one conversations with Maine voters, and we can see a difference. More and more people agree that all loving and committed couples should be able to marry.”

Meanwhile, more than 6,000 people came to Monument Square downtown Portland on Saturday for the Southern Maine Pride Parade and Festival, where support for the November referendum was obvious everywhere.

“What do we want?” shouted someone near the front of the parade.

“Marriage!” others answered.

The equality effort got some official support from town fathers, too.

Portland Mayor Michael Brennan, a parade grand marshal who marched with the Catholics for Marriage Equality, told the crowd that one of his first acts as mayor was joining a national coalition of mayors who support gay marriage.

“The Catholic Church has been on the wrong side” of this issue, Brennan said.

Portland Police Chief Mike Sauschuck, who rode in an open Mercedes coupe convertible as a parade grand marshal, threw his support to gay marriage, citing his own 10-year marriage.

“I think of how much happiness my marriage has brought me,” Sauschuck said.

 

Source: Maine Sunday Telegram. Photo: Mainers United for Marriage

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