A campaign to legalize gay marriage in
Maine with a citizen's initiative is off to a strong start, the AP
reported.
In 2009, gay marriage foes narrowly
(53%) repealed a law approved by lawmakers with a “people's veto”
at the ballot box.
Now, backers hope to make Maine the
first state to legalize the institution through the same democratic
process.
The state's largest gay rights group
EqualityMaine
gathered more than 5,000 signatures on Saturday, the first official
day of petition-gathering. To qualify for the 2012 ballot,
supporters need to collect the signatures of 57,277 registered
voters.
The proposed text of the question
reads: “Do you favor a law allowing marriage licenses for same-sex
couples that protects religious freedom by ensuring no religion or
clergy be required to perform such a marriage in violation of their
religious beliefs?”
The move comes after New York became
the sixth state to legalize such unions in July and Maryland
Governor Martin O'Malley pledged to back a gay marriage bill during
next year's legislative session.