Now it falls to the Maine House of Representatives to follow the Senate and do the right thing.

On Monday, the Senate voted 25-10 in favor of a bill that amends the Maine Human Rights Act to bar discrimination based on sexual orientation.

As hard as it is to believe, without the change in the law, it would remain legal to fire a person for being gay or to deny them a room in a hotel because she is a lesbian. For too long, Maine has lagged behind the rest of New England in the protection of minority rights.

The Senate will have a second reading of the bill as early as today, and amendments could be attached. The bill should stand as it’s written. The House, which could debate the matter today or Wednesday, should then pass this bill and allow it to make its way to Gov. Baldacci, who has been the loudest advocate for the legislation and promises to sign it into law.

Despite rhetoric that says L.D. 1196 is a stalking-horse for some grand “homosexual” agenda, the bill is really about ending one of the last vestiges of discrimination allowed under the law. It broadens the definition of basic civil rights to include all residents, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, age or national origin. And it protects against discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, credit and education.

If the House follows the Senate’s lead from Monday, which it should, opponents of the legislation will likely try to gather enough signatures to put the issue on the ballot in the form of a “people’s veto.” Anti-discrimination bills have been defeated at the ballot box three times in the past decade. In 1995, voters rejected a similar idea. In 1997, the Legislature passed and Gov. Angus King signed an anti-discrimination bill into law, but it was overturned by referendum. And, in 2000, the Legislature tried again by placing a question on the ballot. It was defeated.

Lawmakers were ahead of popular sentiment. But they were also right. Maine should not tolerate discrimination, regardless of the target. Times have changed in the last five years, but there’s plenty of hate left. Take a look at the attacks against this bill and its supporters and you will see its face.

L.D. 1196 is about equal rights, not special rights. It deserves support in the Senate, in the House and on the streets. The days of legal discrimination against homosexuals must end. The time has come for Maine to let go of this relic of past, hateful times.