I was born and raised here in Bangor. I love my community and my state. I’ve been active in community affairs all of my adult life. In a few weeks many Maine people will go to the election booths and exercise our precious right to vote. How we vote on Question 1 will tell the world a great deal about Maine. So, let us carfully consider the impact of this ill-conceived and confusing referendum Question 1.

Question 1 seeks to institutionalize discrimination. So if Maine citizens, or maybe just the citizens of Bangor, decide — a year from now, or 10 years from now — to pass a law to prohibit discrimination against lesbians and gay men, we won’t be allowed to do it. Question 1 would prohibit it in advance.

Perhaps fearing that a law such as Colorado’s denying a specific group of citizens (lesbians and gay men) the right to seek protection from discrimination is unconstitutional, the proponents of Maine’s Question 1 cast a wide net, seeking to prohibit some current and all future anti-discriminaiton laws that might include someone not already on their exclusive list. Even so, few people doubt that stirring up our fears of lesbians and gay men will be the result, if not the intention of Question 1.

We recognize that not all Maine people agree about the fact or extent of discrimination against various groups of Maine citizens, but we hope a majority of Maine people believe we should leave ourselves the opportunity to create legal remedies, if we should so choose, in the future.

Say NO to Question 1 and let us continue to engage each other in debate over the great human rights issues of our day.

Say NO to Question 1 and send a message that, whatever our fears, Maine citizens will not close off any promising options to build a better Maine together.

Say NO to Question 1 on Nov. 7. JoAnne Dauphinee National Organization for Women Brewer