Two ads urging Mainers to back gay
marriage, which were first released in October on the Internet, will
have their television debut around Thanksgiving.
Both ads feature straight couples
talking about what marriage means to them and how they came around on
the issue of marriage equality.
In one ad, Pastor Michael Gray of the
Old Orchard Beach United Methodist Church and his wife Robyn talk
about what marriage means to them.
“Marriage is about love,” Mr. Gray
says in the 30-second spot. “I definitely struggled with the issue
of same-sex marriage.”
“We did pray about it,” adds Mrs.
Gray.
“What changed my mind was the
personal stories. My faith informs me differently now,” Mr. Gray
says. “Marriage is about love. And love is about inclusion not
exclusion.” (The video is embedded in the right panel of this
page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
In 2009, gay marriage foes narrowly
(53%) repealed a gay marriage law approved by lawmakers with a
“people's veto” at the ballot box, known as Question 1. Now,
backers hope to make Maine the first state to legalize the
institution through the same democratic process.
Equality Maine announced earlier this
month that the group had
collected nearly twice the number of signatures needed to put the
issue on the ballot, but a decision on whether to move forward
won't be made until January.
“We want to see if this kind of
positive messaging will have an effect on these 'middle voters,'”
Matt McTighe, the Maine director of Gay and Lesbian Advocated and
Defenders (GLAD), told the San Francisco Chronicle.
In the second ad, Paul and Jeanette
Rediker confess they were not the most gay-friendly couple when they
found out that their daughter is gay.
“We went to see a priest,” says
Mrs. Rediker, “and I will never forget the answer he told me: She
is the same person that you loved yesterday. … I would be very
happy if my eldest daughter could get married at home like she'd
like.”