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Maine voters
reject repeal of gay rights law, Texas voters approve
marriage ban

Maine voters
reject repeal of gay rights law, Texas voters approve
marriage ban

Voter_3

Voters in Texas and Maine rendered a split verdict Tuesday on gay rights.

Voters in Texas and Maine rendered a split verdict Tuesday on gay rights. Texas voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, making their state the 19th to take that step. In Maine, however, voters rejected a conservative-backed proposal to repeal the state's new gay rights law. The contest in Texas was lopsided; near-complete returns showed the marriage ban supported by about 76% of voters. Like every other state except Massachusetts, Texas didn't permit same-sex marriages previously, but the constitutional amendment was touted as an extra guard against future court rulings. "Texans know that marriage is between a man and a woman, and children deserve both a mom and a dad. They don't need a Ph.D. or a degree in anything else to teach them that," said Kelly Shackelford of Texans for Marriage, a group that favored the ban. Gay rights leaders were dismayed by the outcome but vowed to continue a state-by-state battle for recognition of same-sex unions. "The fight for fairness isn't over, and we won't give up," said Joe Solmonese, president of the gay rights group Human Rights Campaign. "These amendments are part of a long-standing effort by the extreme right to eliminate any legal recognition for gay people and our families." In Maine, voters spurned a measure placed on the ballot by a church-backed conservative coalition that would have repealed a gay rights law approved by lawmakers earlier this year. The lawmakers expanded the state's human rights act to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation, a step already taken by the five other New England states. In near-complete returns, about 55% of voters were opposing repeal of the new law, which is broadly worded to protect transsexuals and transvestites as well as gays and lesbians. "This is such a much-needed victory for our national community, because we've experienced so many losses," said Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "We've got to press forward on nondiscrimination protection and not let marriage continue to swamp the movement." Meanwhile, New Jersey voters approved a proposal to have an elected lieutenant governor who would take over if a sitting governor leaves office early. The measure was a response to the gay sex scandal that drove former governor James McGreevey from office and installed senate president Richard Codey as acting governor even as he retained his senate duties. New Jersey has been one of eight states with no lieutenant governor. (AP)

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