The campaign to win gay marriage in
Maine released two news ads on Thursday.
Both ads feature straight couples
talking about what marriage means to them and how they came around on
the issue of gay marriage.
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.”
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.” (The video is embedded in the right panel of this page.)
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(53%) repealed a gay marriage law approved by lawmakers with a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.
The
ads arrive a day before Question
1, the documentary that looks at the fight to repeal the law,
opens locally.