Election 2009: a mixed bag of victory and defeat for LGBT Americans

In Washington State, the yes votes on Referendum 71, the "everything but marriage" law that extends the state's domestic partnership law to grant same-sex couples all the rights and responsibilities of marriage, won by a slim margin. The final tally is 51.1% yes, 48.9% no. We have a lot to celebrate with this victory for LGBT equality. 

Back east, "No on 1", the effort to keep same-sex marriage legal in Maine lost last night, with 53% voting to overturn the first marriage equality law to be enacted legislatively. According to a report on The Bilerico Project, a recount is expected.

No on 1 Campaign Manager Jesse Connolly released this statement this morning:

Dear Supporters.

Yesterday, hundreds of thousands of Maine voters stood for equality, but in the end, it wasn't enough.

I am proud of the thousands of Mainers who knocked on doors, made phone calls and talked to their family, friends and neighbors about the basic premise of treating all Maine families equally.

And I'm proud of this campaign because the stories we told and the images we shared were of real Mainers -- parents who stood up for their children, and couples who simply wanted to marry the person they love.

We're in this for the long haul. For next week, and next month, and next year-- until all Maine families are treated equally. Because in the end, this has always been about love and family and that will always be something worth fighting for.

Thank you. Thank you for everything you did. Thank you for digging deep and giving one more dollar to run our TV ads, for making those phone calls for one more hour. This campaign was, from the beginning, powered by people like you who rolled up their sleeves and did the hard work of change.

Stay the course.

Jesse Connolly
Campaign Manager
NO on 1 / Protect Maine Equality