Maine 'Yes on 1' Spokesman Don Mendell Wants Complaint Dropped

Donald Mendell, a school guidance counselor who helped pass Question 1 in Maine by appearing in an ad that used scare tactics to frighten voters that homosexuality would be taught in schools, wants a complaint against his participation dropped, the Kennebec Journal reports:

"The complaint was filed Oct. 19 by Ann Sullivan, a social worker at Newport Elementary School. She argues that Mendell, a Nokomis High School guidance counselor, 'does not have the right as a licensed social worker to make public comments that can endanger or promote discrimination.' Public disclosure of the complaint came just a week before the Nov. 3 election, in which voters approved -- with 53 percent of the vote -- a repeal of a same-sex marriage law enacted by the Legislature. In a written response sent Friday to the licensing office, Mendell calls Sullivan's complaint 'frivolous' and 'nothing more than an attack by someone who disagrees with the viewpoint I advocated publicly in a statewide political campaign.' He asks the board to summarily dismiss the complaint because its allegations are 'baseless.""

Wrote Mendell: "I cannot be in violation of the ethical standards for social workers when I advocate in favor of the very public policy the state of Maine has on marriage, and has had since its first days in the Union. This board should have no part of this politically-motivated effort to misuse the Code of Ethics to demonize a fellow social worker holding a different view."

Mendell has a history of opposing gays in Maine. He's being represented by the Alliance Defense Fund.

Maine HS Student Organizes Marriage Equality Rally in Bangor

Bangor High School student Antonia Carroll organized a marriage equality rally over the weekend to show that Mainers may be down, but they're not out. And that time is definitely on our side.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Watch: Short Documentary on Maine's 'No on 1' Campaign

Jesse Connolly, campaign manager for Maine's "No on 1", wrote a piece yesterday for the Huffington Post explaining what he believes led to the campaign's defeat at the polls:

"...here's where it gets tricky and here's where we need some answers over the next several weeks or months. It's clear that polling research, both ours and others, did not capture the intensity of Yes on 1 support. Polling cannot predict turnout and the impact of Tuesday's turnout was counterintuitive. We weren't alone: our opponents, political observers and field operatives all believed a high turnout benefited the NO on 1 vote. With voting approaching 60% in Maine, it's clear that wasn't true. Here's what I do believe after some sleep and a break from the caffeine: we moved the equality ball further up the hill, not just in Maine, but everywhere else. Voters do need these conversations which we had by the tens of thousands; they do need to see real gay and lesbian couples and their children up close and personal; and they do need to be reminded that these are neighbors and soccer coaches we're talking about, not 'homosexual activists' which is the well worn handle our opponents trot out."

New Left Media has produced an interesting 15-minute documentary about the campaign, which you can watch in two parts, AFTER THE JUMP...

Mainers Protest Catholic Church Over Anti-Gay Marriage Vote

Demonstrators in Portland and Bangor, Maine protested the Catholic church's involvement in the passage of Question 1 on Sunday morning. Portland residents took their grievances to the street in front of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Catholic contributions to the anti-gay campaign totaled at least $550,000...

Watch FOX23's report, AFTER THE JUMP...

 

Maggie Gallagher: Energized About Dead Gay Teenagers

Maggie's back with another message about Maine, AFTER THE JUMP...

Maggie Gallagher: 'Marriage Advocates are Energized' After Maine

Maggie Gallagher clucks to the Catholic News Agency over the bigot victory in Maine ,
AFTER THE JUMP...