Madore says marriage is part of broader gay agenda

Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press

Brian Souchet, of Stand for Marriage Maine, left, listens to a response by Mary Bonauto, of Protect Maine Equality, during a debate on referendum Question 1, the proposal to rescind the Legislature's approval of same-sex marriage Wednesday at the University of Southern Maine in Portland, Maine.

AUGUSTA — Longtime anti-gay activist Paul Madore on Wednesday warned Mainers that voting on Election Day to uphold the law allowing same-sex marriage would further normalize homosexuality. 

At a news conference at the State House less than a week before the Nov. 3 election, Madore made his first public appearance on the issue, flanked by Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth about Homosexuality and Brian Camenker of MassResistance.

"This is a very serious issue, and if we don't decide correctly what to do with this, we're apt to go the wrong way; we have been doing that incrementally," said Madore, who lives in Lewiston.

"There's a very clear case here as to why same-sex marriage is bad for Maine, because it has the weight and force of the legal system to indoctrinate society to that which some perceive to be the norm. That cannot possibly be good for Maine," he said.

Madore's political action committee, the Maine Grassroots Coalition, has spent about $8,300 on the campaign so far, according to state campaign finance reports. About $3,200 has gone toward paying himself and his wife, Susan, for their efforts.

One concern cited by Madore was potential voter fraud, based on the No on 1 campaign's program bringing out-of-staters to take vacations in Maine to volunteer for the campaign.

"The practical effects of having this campaign, is not only that they will come to work, but will they vote? Will they vote? We know that voter fraud has always been an issue that's very much a part of campaigns, particularly campaigns that are controversial," Madore said.

Jesse Connolly, campaign manager for the No on 1/Protect Maine Equality group, called the accusation "insulting."

"We certainly have volunteers from out of state, but we hold Maine's election laws very seriously," he said. "It's unfortunate that the level of discourse has fallen to this."

Connolly said his group has not been deceptive about anything and is very focused on Election Day.

The Stand for Marriage Maine group, which is leading efforts to reject the new law, disavowed Madore's news conference and his speakers, said Scott Fish, spokesman for Stand for Marriage Maine.

Bob Emrich, a leader of the group, said that although Madore is advocating for the same "Yes on 1" vote his group is, they have chosen not to endorse his message.

"Paul does his thing, whatever that might be; everybody may be headed to the same destination, but the way of getting there may be different," Emrich said.

He said he disassociated his group from LaBarbera, specifically.

"(LaBarbera's) comments are that we, being Stand for Marriage Maine and myself, that we are cowardly," Emrich said. "So given that that's his attitude toward the way we're presenting our message, it's hard to imagine how we could work closely with him."

Madore, who was active in previous campaigns against what he calls "the homosexual issue," offered his services to the Stand for Marriage Maine campaign, but like Michael Heath, formerly of the Christian Civic League, was not assigned a leadership role in the campaign.

"They just felt like there was a different way to do it, so you can't have a team going in different directions at the same time," Emrich said of the situation.

The speakers at the news conference sought to reveal what they felt were hidden agendas behind contributors to the No on 1 campaign.

"What hasn't been reported are the incredibly radical connections and behaviors and public pronouncements of some of these groups," said LaBarbera, using the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force as an example. "The people of Maine are not familiar with the support of the bigoted gay organizations that have been the sustenance of the No on 1 campaign."

LaBarbera read a description of a course offered by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force during a summit held in February as an example of something Mainers should be aware of.

"This workshop will empower (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning) youth to increase their emotional and physical safety with intimate partners, acquaintances and hook-ups. Participants will gain and practice skills and tools to convey awareness, gain full consent, assert boundaries and respectively approach someone, recognize abusive behavior and respond to dangerous situations," he read.

"Essentially, what we are talking about here is an organization so radical that they are now advocating sexual freedom for young people," LaBarbera said.

When asked why he was holding the news conference so close to the election, Madore said he had trouble raising enough money to bring in the speakers.

"But there's a very clear message that's reverberating in Lewiston regarding the threat of indoctrination, the content in the schools and I believe the vast majority of parents don't want that. They want fairness for all, but they're not willing to sacrifice their children for it," he said.

A statement released by the No on 1 campaign said Madore has "been behind some of the most anti-gay hate speech over the last 20 years" in Maine. Additionally, MassResistance, Camenker's group, is one of 11 designated anti-gay hate groups listed by the Southern Poverty Law Center, according to the No on 1 campaign.

rmetzler@sunjournal.com