Mike Heath, who headed church outreach for the Ron Paul campaign in Iowa, will work against Maine's gay marriage referendum, the AP reported.

After lawmakers approved a gay marriage law in 2009, it was narrowly repealed with a “people's veto” at the ballot box later that same year.

Marriage equality supporters, led by EqualityMaine, submitted more than 105,000 signatures to return the issue to the ballot box this fall. Citing various polls, supporters say Maine is ready to become the first state to approve marriage equality by referendum.

Heath was pushed out of the Christian conservative group Maine Family Policy Council, which he headed for 15 years, over his aggressive anti-gay sentiments as the group pushed for repeal of the law.

Heath and Paul Madore said that they have formed the No Special Rights PAC. Madore once headed the anti-gay rights group Main Grassroots Coalition.

“There's no basis in nature for a right to sodomy or a right to call two men or two women who are choosing to relate to one another sexually as a marriage,” Heath said. “There's no intrinsic or natural right to that. So we believe that these are special rights.”

“It's going to be a fight,” Madore said.

David Farmer, spokesman for the Dirigo Family PAC, which supports the referendum, said the entry wasn't a surprise.