Victories in Augusta!!!

The Maine Senate joined the House of Representatives yesterday in defeating LD 1046, the bill that would have repealed the Maine Human Rights Act protections for public accommodations. The House vote of 81 to 61 was followed by the Senate vote of 23 to 11 against this bill. This bill would have opened the door for blatant discrimination against Maine’s transgender community.

The defeat of this bill by a strong, bipartisan majority of legislators in Augusta is a major victory for the LGBT community and our allies.

 I am also delighted to report that LD 1237, the Anti-Bullying bill, has passed in the House of Representatives unanimously. If this legislation—which for the first time in Maine defines bullying and prevents it from happening at the outset—becomes law, it will benefit all Maine students but especially LGBT and questioning youth. Please continue to contact your state senators at 800-423-6900 to support this critical legislation.

I want to thank all you who volunteered, contacted your legislators, and phone-banked. It made all the difference in a very challenging political climate. Please join all of us at EqualityMaine in celebrating these victories!