Editorial: People’s veto a hiccup in road to equality

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The repeal of the same-sex marriage law is a disheartening blow to equality, but it is by no means the end of this debate. Mainers upset by the election result should not dwell on the intolerance displayed, but look to the future for hope. Society has always kept moving forward, though it is sometimes slower than many would like.

The next step will be to take this issue to the Maine Supreme Court, following the same process Iowa did on its path to marriage equality. This road will no doubt be as rocky as the last, but it is what must be done for justice to prevail.

Regardless of the outcome, Mainers still made a strong statement to the entire nation about equality and the American ideal that all people deserve the same rights. Nearly half the state — including a strong majority in Orono — stood with their brothers and sisters and said no to discrimination and intolerance.

Here at UMaine, 80 percent of students voted no on Question 1. The university should be proud of its students and their tendency toward expanding liberty, not limiting it. The pride flag waving proudly on the mall is a testament to this tendency.

The struggle to ensure rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people is the struggle for civil rights of our generation. Martin Luther King, Jr. told us the arc of history bends toward justice, but that arc will only continue to bend if we continue to apply pressure.

Before same-sex marriage was made legal in Massachusetts in 2004, many might have thought it would never happen. Since that day, six other states have recognized that human relationships take many forms and that it behooves us to recognize all relationships as equal.

In the same way our generation grew up wondering how our parents and grandparents could possibly have supported segregation, our children will look back in the sunset years and wonder why we couldn’t see that it doesn’t matter who you love, only that you love. On that day, Nov. 3, 2009, will be a distant memory.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 5th, 2009, 12:20 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.