Voters in Maine repeal gay marriage.Byline: The Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. PORTLAND, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine, with a 2004 population of 63,882. Portland is Maine's cultural, social and economic capital. Tourists are drawn to Portland's historic Old Port district along Portland Harbor, which is at the mouth of the Fore River and part -- Maine voters Tuesday repealed a state law that would have allowed same-sex couples to wed, dealing the gay-rights movement gay-rights movement, organized efforts to end the criminalization of homosexuality and protect the civil rights of homosexuals. While there was some organized activity on behalf of the rights of homosexuals from the mid-19th through the first half of the 20th cent. a heartbreaking defeat in New England New England, name applied to the region comprising six states of the NE United States—Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The region is thought to have been so named by Capt. , the region most supportive of gay marriage. Gay marriage now has lost in every single state -- 31 in all -- in which it has been put to a popular vote. Well-financed gay-rights activists had hoped to buck that trend in Maine, -- known for its moderate, independent-minded electorate. With 87 percent of precincts reporting, gay-marriage foes had 53 percent of the votes. "The institution of marriage has been preserved in Maine and across the nation," said Frank Schubert Frank Schubert (1915 - 2003) was the last civilian lighthouse keeper in the United States. Schubert worked for the United States Coast Guard since 1939; at the time of his death he was serving at the Coney Island Lighthouse in Brooklyn, New York, where he had worked since , chief organizer for the winning side. Gay-marriage supporters refused to concede, holding out hope the tide might turn as the final returns came in. "We're here for the long haul, and whether it's just all night and into the morning or it's next week or next month or next year, we will be here," said Jesse Connolly, manager of the pro-gay marriage campaign. At issue was a law passed by the Maine Legislature last spring that would have legalized same-sex marriage. Conservatives launched a petition drive to repeal it in a referendum. The outcome marked the first time voters had rejected a gay-marriage law enacted by a legislature. Californians put a stop to same-sex marriage last year, in response to a court ruling. Five other states -- Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire New Hampshire, one of the New England states of the NE United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts (S), Vermont, with the Connecticut R. forming the boundary (W), the Canadian province of Quebec (NW), and Maine and a short strip of the Atlantic Ocean (E). , Connecticut and Iowa -- have legalized gay marriage, but all did so through legislation or court rulings. Constitutional bans on gay marriage have been approved in all 30 states where they have been on the ballot. Copyright (c) 2009 Seattle Times Company, All Rights Reserved. |
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