Maine Gay Marriages Begin at 12:01 Saturday Morning Throughout the State

The State of Maine opened its marriage bureaus at 12:01 a.m. in multiple locales to enthusiastic couples and great fanfare 

Same-sex marriage ceremonies began this morning at 12:01 a.m. sharp at the Portland, Maine marriage bureau as the first gay couples were able to exchange vows in the northern “Pine Tree State”.

Maine becomes the 8th state to conduct same sex marriage ceremonies, after voters in November approved marriage equality in the State after several years of pitched battles with the extreme right-wing.

Maryland begins civil marriage ceremonies on New Years Day, after voters also affirmed  in November the right of gay couples to marry.

The above photograph of a substantial crowd standing outside of the Portland City Clerk’s office was taken by television reporter Marissa Bodnar of Maine’s WGME, a CBS affiliate. She also took the photograph below, of the first gay couple, Steven Bridges & Michael Snell to present themselves at the City Clerk’s office for their marriage license.  The New Civil Rights Movement thanks Marissa for sharing these terrific photographs.

Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, Washington, the District of Columbia and two Native American tribes have legalized same-sex marriage in America.

Images courtesy of Marissa Bodnar at WGME Maine Television, a CBS affiliate.

Tanya L. Domi is the Deputy Editor of the New Civil Rights Movement blog.  She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and teaches human rights in East Central Europe and former Yugoslavia.  Prior to teaching at Columbia, Domi was a nationally recognized LGBT civil rights activist who worked for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force during the campaign to lift the military ban in the early 1990s. Domi has also worked internationally in a dozen countries on issues related to democratic transitional development, including political and media development, human rights and gender issues.  She is chair of the board of directors for GetEQUAL.  Domi is currently writing a book about the emerging LGBT human rights movement in the Western Balkans.