The marriage-equality bill sailed through the legislative process not because it wasn't controversial, but because Equality Maine had carefully laid the groundwork.
At every step, the process was managed by the group not only for maximum political impact, but also to address broader concerns. EM has obviously been thinking outside the State House and preparing from the beginning for a public vote on the issue if opponents gather enough signatures to force a people's veto referendum. That's something MLGPA and its offspring Maine Won't Discriminate lacked the foresight and the savvy to accomplish.
EM and its allies in the Maine Freedom to Marry Coalition started their campaign with a couple of smoothly coordinated moves. In November 2008, they sent volunteers to dozens of polling places to collect signatures supporting same-sex couples. In one day, they gathered 33,000 names. A week later, liberal clergy members held news conferences in several locations to endorse the marriage plan.
[Read the article or read more articles from Boston Phoenix.]
contact - at - stop8.org