Portland City Hall has announced it
will open at midnight on December 29 to inaugurate Maine's gay
marriage law.
On November 6, Maine became the first
state to legalize marriage equality at the ballot box. The win was
especially poignant because voters in 2009 had repealed a marriage
law approved by lawmakers.
Now the state's first gay weddings
appear likely to take place in Portland, the state's largest city,
the Press
Herald reported.
On Saturday, December 29, the day the
law is set to take effect, City Hall will open for three hours to
issue marriage licenses and perform weddings. Maine does not have a
waiting period.
“There was a lot of discussion about
logistics, and the feedback from staff and others was that this would
work,” city spokeswoman Nicole Clegg told the paper.
Ian Grady, communications director for
EqualityMaine, called the development “very exciting.”
“I think the biggest part of the
excitement is these people who have been waiting years and years who
literally don't want to wait another second,” he said.
Augusta has also said it will open on
December 29, but not at 12:01AM.
(Related: King
County breaks marriage license record on first day of gay marriage
law.)