Maine

Portland's Rines Auditorium was the place for an event that included a dozen community organizations and three high school gay-straight alliances - all dedicated to reducing hate language and harassment.

Maine voted 53 to 47 to reject gay marriage. The closely watched — and not very close — vote extended the winning streak of gay-marriage opponents nationwide, who have now prevailed in more than 30 straight state elections over whether to allow marriage equality.

Still, the issue will not go away.

TIME magazine reports:

The AP reports that voters in three states will decide this fall on whether to reverse gay rights initiatives ranging from anti-discrimination measures to marriage benefits.

In Maine, voters will decide whether or not to uphold the state's legalization of same-sex marriage. In Washington state, a so-called "everything but marriage" law that expands the state's current domestic partnership law will be on the ballot. And in Kalamazoo, Mich., voters will decide on an ordinance that prohibits discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender individuals.

Church Executive magazine reports on the battle over marriage equality in Maine.

"Supporters of an effort to overturn Maine's 'gay marriage' law launched their first television ad Tuesday and in it warned that if the law isn't reversed, church organizations could lose their tax-exempt status and 'gay marriage' could be taught in public schools.

Two Portland women who have fought for the past six years to adopt two siblings, now aged 10 and 6. And now the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled in the lesbian family's favor.

Supreme court justices unanimously struck down a previous ruling by the Cumberland County Probate Court, which did not allow Ann Courtney and Marilyn Kirby to jointly adopt the children.