There are reasons to be hopeful about Maine.
A bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry in Maine won the endorsement of a panel of lawmakers Tuesday afternoon, setting the stage for a larger and more lively debate in the full Legislature.
The Judiciary Committee voted 11-2-1 in favor of a bill, LD 1020, which would repeal Maine’s prohibition on same-sex marriages. Two committee members opposed the bill, while a third proposed sending the issue to a statewide referendum.
Several lawmakers who supported the bill couched their votes in terms of civil rights and equality.
“I want my kids to grow up in a place where everyone is treated equally and fairly and with respect,” said committee co-chairman Sen. Lawrence Bliss, a South Portland Democrat who is openly gay.
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