In 2009, I volunteered every spare moment of my time to win the freedom to marry for same-sex couples in Maine. I knocked on doors, I made phone calls, I entered data, and recruited volunteers. Logging more than 100 hours, I thought I had done everything I could.
After the election, I talked to a close relative in northern Maine and was astonished to learn he voted against marriage. I thought I didn’t need to talk to him. I just assumed he knew what marriage meant to me as a gay man. We sat down for a conversation and within half an hour it became clear to him why marriage matters to me and to other same-sex couples throughout Maine.
This year, my brother will be voting Yes on 1 and I couldn’t be happier. He joins the rest of my family in their continuous support of the freedom to marry. Will you join us and vote Yes on 1 this Tuesday?
Undecided voters consistently tell researchers, "The gay people I know haven't said that marriage matters to them — so, why should it matter to me?"
Talking to your undecided friends is the best way to change their minds.
This weekend, talk to your friends, neighbors, and relatives. Take nothing for granted. I encourage you all to take out your phone, open your address book, and look through all of your friends and relatives in Maine. Call them and let them know why you’ll be voting Yes on Question 1.
