Tomorrow is the big day- Election Day. I have been eagerly awaiting the November 3rd vote since I found out about Maine’s people’s veto process in August that will bring the state’s new marriage equality law to a vote in the form of Question 1. A ‘Yes’ vote repeals the law, and a ‘No’ vote rejects the repeal and allows the law, passed and signed in May, to go into effect.

Any Amplify blogger or reader is probably, at this point, quite familiar with how the campaigns for and against equality have played out. (I’ve hardly written about anything else for the past two months!) I have loved covering the campaign and sharing everything with those that have read my posts. I’m glad that I could do my part to get the word out. I care very much about tomorrow’s vote, but there are several other topics and stories that I’m looking forward to writing about. I wanted to take this time to reflect on the campaigns overall and to share some general thoughts and impressions.

I’ve watched and commented on all of the ads put out by both sides; I’ve read newspaper articles, guest columns, and letters to the editor from both sides; I’ve read posts by other bloggers on the subject; and overall, what has it all meant? What does tomorrow’s vote mean? To me, it’s about choosing to step into the future or to allow yourself to be chained to the past.

Every single point made in this debate comes down to one thing: equality. The only question that Mainers have to ask themselves tomorrow is: “Do I believe that gay and lesbian people deserve the same rights as straight people?” It really is as simple as that. The answer is a simple yes or no. It’s not any more complicated than that. Anyone who votes ‘Yes’ to repeal the marriage law will do so because they don’t believe that gay and lesbian people don’t deserve the same civil rights as straight people. If they believed in equality, if they wanted gay and lesbian people to be treated with respect and dignity by their government, they would not be able to vote ‘Yes’ on Question 1.

Some call for “separate by equal,” but the truth is that equal rights include equal verbiage. If straight couples can say they are married and same-sex couples cannot, that is not equal. Those are not the same rights. Separate words are separate rights.

I don’t think that anyone wants to be a bigot, but admitting you have a problem is the first step. The issue that prevents most people from realizing their hurtful and harmful homophobia is that they have been led to believe that being LGBTQ is an unfortunate sickness and/or a choice. It’s hard to change a mind that has been told, in many cases, that God thinks certain people are an abomination, and if they accept LGBTQ people as equals, God will condemn them as an abomination. People really believe that, and other people will take advantage of that religious loyalty and faith and further push them toward hateful beliefs and, in some unfortunate cases, violent acts. (Luckily, the federal hate crimes bill, including protections for LGBTQ people, was recently signed by President Obama.)

Maine has the real chance of being the first state to vote in favor of marriage equality. To date, 33 states have voted against equality for gay and lesbian couples. Those are some incredibly tough odds, but we do honestly have a chance to win. Some people look at the recent polls that show a tied race, and they’re worried. And they should be. But we could also look at these tied polls and be grateful and amazed at how far we’ve come and how close we really are. I will not suggest that we should be grateful for unequal marriage laws, but we should be grateful for the steps we’ve taken that have brought us to the point where marriage for same-sex couples is even a Question at all- and an extremely close Question at that.

Think about the same-sex couples living in Maine now, who have been together for 20, 20, or even 50 years. Does their love, dedication, and commitment to each other through the decades deserve to be called legal, civil marriage? Do their children and, in many cases, grandchildren, deserve to have their families recognized any respected by the state? These are real people. These are real families. They deserve real equality.

From the very beginning, the ‘Yes on 1’ campaign has tried to make gay and lesbian people and their relationships and families a scary thing that harms society, specifically, children. Their objection to same-sex relationships being discussed in schools is all about their objection to LGBT Q people being acknowledged in public at all. They don’t want their kids even hearing the word “gay.” As irrational as their fear is, this is what they have based the largest portion of their campaign on.

It’s unfortunate that they have been taught, and continue to teach, homophobia, but when they talk about the downturn that society will experience as a result of marriage equality for LGBTQ people, that society- that accepting, understanding, tolerant, open-minded society- is exactly what will be able to cut through the lies and distortions that they are pushing about LGBTQ people and their relationships and will lead to a society that will be better tomorrow than it was yesterday. That doesn’t sound crazy to me. That sounds pretty great, actually.

Maine has a great opportunity tomorrow. They can prove that they value a society that respects all of its members and treats everyone with dignity and equality under the law. They can prove that their state motto, “The Way Life Should Be,” is more than a nice saying, but, truly, a way of life.

~ Samantha