The New York Times offers an in-depth analysis of how the marriage equality movement will recoop after the crushing defeat in Maine. Voters in the state overturned a bill legalizing same – gender marriage, making Maine the 31st state to outlaw marriage for gay and lesbian couples. It was a surprise given Maine’s supposedly liberal leanings and the equality pushed by other surrounding New England states. (Same – gender marriage is legal in Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut)
So, what does this mean for the larger gay rights movement? The Times points out a handful of appraoches – from an agressive push to reverse Prop 8 in California to a more concentrated effort to repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Others want to work to overturn the constitutional bans on same – gender marriage still on the books in 30 states.
Gay rights advocates do seem to agree that community – based conversations are the best grassroots approach, basically talking to members of their communities in an effort to prove that gay and lesbian couples are really no different than their straight neighbors. Imagine that…
Read the article here.
