I won’t be signing ‘Coalition for Marriage’ petitions

Aroostook’s all set,” a conservative lobbyist is quoted as saying in the April 6 edition of the BDN (“Opposing camps gear up for fight over gay rights”), pointing a politically savvy finger at my county’s 73,000 residents, 6,672 square miles, and dozens of churches.

With that wave of a hand, backers of a petition to repeal LD 1196 (Maine’s new law prohibiting discrimination against anyone on the basis of sexual orientation) apparently have decided that the Christian Civic League’s “sand in the eyes” strategy will convince us simple folk here in The County that their petition is about rejecting gay marriage.

Having had our fear button pushed, we are all expected to run like sheep to our houses of worship and scribble our names down to keep the great liberal horde from invading us from the south.

Aroostook’s all set? I don’t believe it for a minute. There may have been a time when the politics of fear could hold sway over our emotions and good sense, but no one appreciates being deceived, and everything about this petition drive feels like deception.

Even the name chosen for its sponsoring organization, the “Coalition for Marriage,” is a Trojan horse being dragged into the walls of churches even as I sit to write this. LD 1196 prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, credit, public accommodations and educational opportunities. That’s it. And in fact the law specifically was amended to read, “This Act may not be construed to create, add, alter or abolish any right to marry that may exist under the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of Maine or the laws of this State.”

Some of this law’s supporters no doubt favor same-sex marriage; some of them are without a doubt strongly opposed. Eventually it is possible that Maine will have that debate if the U.S. Constitution isn’t amended first. In the meantime, repealing this landmark piece of civil rights legislation will only keep one thing from invading us from the south: jobs.

I moved back to Aroostook County in 1998 after a 20-year absence that bridged the closing of Loring Air Force Base. Times certainly have been hard, and poverty and lack of economic opportunity have stalked the well-being of far too many of our families. But things are changing. The Loring Commerce Centre continues to attract innovative businesses that pay real wages; our downtowns – once decimated by the big box stores – are coming back to life with art galleries, studios and small businesses; and the St. John Valley proudly has shown its hospitality to biathletes on the world stage this past winter and, no doubt, will again.

Our economy has been disassembled but is being rebuilt, one enterprising venture at a time, as more and more folks in their 30s and 40s find ways to return to or arrive in The County to raise children in a safe environment with community support, affordable housing, cultural opportunities and incredible natural beauty. Now even the tourists have discovered us as an alternative to seeing Maine through the blue haze of exhaust on Route 1 in the summertime.

My belief is that we are on the verge of being “discovered” by businesses that long for what we have to offer. All people of faith must be concerned about the economic well-being that sustains their communities, and I am more optimistic on this front than ever. Just when we have so much potential, however, is the time when we most easily can stumble and fall. I believe that is what we will be doing if we allow the drive to curtail Maine’s civil rights to go forward.

A CEO sitting in an office in Maryland or Arizona or Montreal has plenty of places to locate his new manufacturing plant or her telecommunications center. The desire for a stable work force with proven skills and training, the presence of university campuses and a community college, excellent public schools, and recreational opportunities may well move Aroostook County to the top of the list.

Why would we possibly jeopardize that by giving in to the Coalition for Marriage’s fear-mongering? Employers and employees expect equality for all in the communities where they locate. Why shouldn’t they? I’ve yet to find anything in the Bible that suggests that our gay residents should be denied a mortgage application or a chance at a car loan or a shot at a decent education. If someone wants to come to Aroostook County, open a business, pay a competitive wage, and treat their employees with respect, I can’t imagine that anyone would care a fig about the gender of the person they go home to at night.

Don’t be fooled. LD 1196 is a good law that will make our state more hospitable to business while allowing churches and religious groups to be as welcoming (or exclusive) as they want to be. I won’t be signing any petitions. My County, for one, can’t afford the cost of discrimination. Can yours?

The Rev. Thomas L. Blackstone, Ph.D., is a United Methodist pastor in Presque Isle and a brother in the Order of St. Luke. He may be reached via tlbphd@yahoo.com. Voices is a weekly commentary by Maine columnists who explore issues affecting spirituality and religious life.