Same-sex marriage in Maine for first time
Source: Agencies |
December 30, 2012, Sunday
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THE first gay and lesbian couples to wed under a new same-sex marriage law in Maine in the United States exchanged vows early yesterday in spare but joyous civil ceremonies held shortly after midnight in the only state to welcome such nuptials solely by popular vote.
"We finally feel equal and happy to be living in Maine," an exuberant Steven Bridges, 42, said shortly after he and his newly wedded husband, Michael Snell, 53, became the first couple at City Hall in Maine's largest town to tie the knot.
After the pair had filled out the paperwork, the city records clerk, Christine Horne, performed the brief, no-frills ceremony, pronouncing the two men married as they exchanged rings and kissed.
Snell's two adult daughters, both from a previous heterosexual marriage, looked on smiling.
Other couples waiting in the hallway outside the clerk's office cheered the pair as they emerged, and a crowd of 250 supporters outside let out a jubilant roar as Bridges, a retail manager, and Snell, a massage therapist, appeared.
A group sang The Beatles song "All You Need Is Love," and many carried signs with such slogans as "America's new day begins in Maine" and "Love one another."
Similar scenes were repeated as five more couples exchanged vows during the next two hours, and more weddings were expected before the office was scheduled to close again at 3am.
About 15 couples obtained their marriage licenses, with plans to wed later.
"We've been together for 30 years, and never thought that this country would allow marriages between gay couples," said Roberta Batt, 71, an antiques dealer and retired physician, as she and her longtime partner, Mary, waited their turn to wed. "We're just very thankful to the people of Maine, and I hope the rest of the country goes the way this state has," she added.
Maine, Maryland and Washington state became the first three US states to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples by popular vote with passage of ballot initiatives on November 6.
But Maine was the only one of the three where voters did so entirely on their own, without state legislators precipitating a referendum by acting first.
Nine of the 50 US states plus the District of Columbia now have statutes legalizing gay marriage.
Washington's law took effect on December 9, and Maryland's law does so on January 1. Another 31 states have passed constitutional amendments restricting marriage to heterosexual couples.
The tide of public opinion has been shifting in favor of allowing same-sex marriage. In May, President Barack Obama became the first US president to declare his support for allowing gay couples to marry.
A Pew Research Center survey from October found 49 percent of Americans favored allowing gay marriage, with 40 percent opposed.
The US Supreme Court has agreed to review two challenges to federal and state laws that define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
"We finally feel equal and happy to be living in Maine," an exuberant Steven Bridges, 42, said shortly after he and his newly wedded husband, Michael Snell, 53, became the first couple at City Hall in Maine's largest town to tie the knot.
After the pair had filled out the paperwork, the city records clerk, Christine Horne, performed the brief, no-frills ceremony, pronouncing the two men married as they exchanged rings and kissed.
Snell's two adult daughters, both from a previous heterosexual marriage, looked on smiling.
Other couples waiting in the hallway outside the clerk's office cheered the pair as they emerged, and a crowd of 250 supporters outside let out a jubilant roar as Bridges, a retail manager, and Snell, a massage therapist, appeared.
A group sang The Beatles song "All You Need Is Love," and many carried signs with such slogans as "America's new day begins in Maine" and "Love one another."
Similar scenes were repeated as five more couples exchanged vows during the next two hours, and more weddings were expected before the office was scheduled to close again at 3am.
About 15 couples obtained their marriage licenses, with plans to wed later.
"We've been together for 30 years, and never thought that this country would allow marriages between gay couples," said Roberta Batt, 71, an antiques dealer and retired physician, as she and her longtime partner, Mary, waited their turn to wed. "We're just very thankful to the people of Maine, and I hope the rest of the country goes the way this state has," she added.
Maine, Maryland and Washington state became the first three US states to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples by popular vote with passage of ballot initiatives on November 6.
But Maine was the only one of the three where voters did so entirely on their own, without state legislators precipitating a referendum by acting first.
Nine of the 50 US states plus the District of Columbia now have statutes legalizing gay marriage.
Washington's law took effect on December 9, and Maryland's law does so on January 1. Another 31 states have passed constitutional amendments restricting marriage to heterosexual couples.
The tide of public opinion has been shifting in favor of allowing same-sex marriage. In May, President Barack Obama became the first US president to declare his support for allowing gay couples to marry.
A Pew Research Center survey from October found 49 percent of Americans favored allowing gay marriage, with 40 percent opposed.
The US Supreme Court has agreed to review two challenges to federal and state laws that define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
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