"In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions. I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage....This new law does not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of its beliefs. It does not require the church to perform any ceremony with which it disagrees. Instead, it reaffirms the separation of Church and State. It guarantees that Maine citizens will be treated equally under Maine's civil marriage laws, and that is the responsibility of government.''

Portion of a statement released by Maine Governor John E Baldacci, who signed into law ''LD 1020, An Act to End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom.'' He did leave some wiggle room in his statement for a future effort by Maine citizens to bring the new law up for vote by the people. Maine (as of September 14, 2009) will be the 5th state to legally recognize same-sex marriages after Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa and Vermont (as of September 1, 2009). (Maine Governor Baldacci's website)