While Portland did the right thing last night, the majority of those who voted statewide chose discrimination with their votes to repeal the state's same-sex marriage law. The very disappointing result makes Maine the latest to not only continue to condone legal discrimination, but to reaffirm it by a popular vote.
While I am confident that in time this will be changed, we now have the mark of discrimination branded upon the state. It was a reminder that outside of Portland, many people in the state live in very different worlds. In countless communities there is no longer an economic engine, so people only leave and people who hold different values and provide new perspectives and don't move into those communities.
Once the bitterness of last nights vote passes, efforts to change the minds of those in the remote (and not so remote) communities can begin. Certainly many people won't change their views, but some will. While I don't know how this should be done, we can't just wait for the inevitable generational shift before we remove the stain of discrimination that has been placed upon our state.
