2/13/99
On February 10, 1999 it will have been one year.
As Maine's ice from the storm of the century thawed, citizens went to the polls. They went to decide one issue. Would Maine allow "sexual orientation" to be added to their human rights act, or would they agree with the Christian Civic League of Maine. Would they veto the Legislature and the Governor's decision of ten months earlier. A majority of voters decided to agree with the League and the coalition that had formed to support the people's veto. They overturned their legislature and governor.
This surprising decision, made more stunning by the press attacks leading up to the vote, was significant, important and worthwhile. It was significant because over 300,000 Maine people voted, nearly twice the number expected by the secretary of state. The importance of the vote is illustrated by the fact that there have only been about 20 peoples vetoes in the past one hundred years and this one joins the dozen or so that succeeded. And who would dare argue that a citizen initiated effort that brought thousands of people to focus on citizenship, voting and an important social/cultural issue isn't worthwhile?
Well .... plenty of people, that's who.
Most vocal among them are homosexual activists themselves. They have been crying foul ever since the vote, even though it was simply democracy in action. They claim that the convictions of "homophobes" and "fear-mongers" provided the energy that made the people's veto successful. Most afraid of moral and Christian views about homosexuality, the advocates of homosexual rights hid behind claims of tolerance and fairness while they denied proponents of the veto the dignity of their deeply held convictions.
Unfortunately, this is typical of media and money driven campaigns on social issues in America today. A decent and respectful consideration of the views of people who disagree with the politically correct, and wholly secular views, of the media elite is hard to find. This was certainly true during the people's veto. The people voted for the veto anyway. Why?
Homosexual rights are wrong because homosexuality is morally wrong. The law, if it mentions homosexuality at all, must condemn it, not condone it. People know that this is true. That simple message reached enough citizens to make the veto a success. It certainly wasn't money -- we were outspent 7 to 1. It wasn't help from politicians and the media -- we were up against one of the most popular governors Maine has ever known and the media was against us all the way. It was the people of Maine who made it happen.
It wasn't a vote for hate, as some opponents of the veto have asserted. It was a vote for common sense understandings of human sexuality. We are way off course on sex-related issues, practice and thinking in America. The people's veto in Maine was simply consistent with this fact. The energy behind the abhorrence for President Clinton's conduct, and the congressional action related to those actions, springs from the same source -- Christian moral understandings about sex. God forbid that we give up on those understandings.
We are, however, experimenting with doing just that -- giving up on these important shared values on human sexuality. This will be ultimately destructive to us in our personal and civic lives.
The people who worked so hard on the people's veto of homosexual rights are convinced of the moral depravity of homosexual tolerance. These folks, thank God, are still watching and still involved.
I pray that more courageous souls in favor of decency, purity and righteous living will come forward and join our efforts to politely resist the forces of evil in our society today. Political action provides one such opportunity. I thank you all for standing strong in
the public square!Michael S. Heath is Executive Director, Christian Civic League of Maine