LEWISTON — More than 60 people turned out for a debate on Question 1, the referendum to reject Maine’s law allowing same-sex marriage, during a Great Falls Forum lecture at the Lewiston Public Library on Thursday.

Marc Mutty, who is on leave from his job with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland and is chairman of the Stand for Marriage Maine group, faced off against Shenna Bellows, the executive director of the Maine Civil Liberties Union and a leader in the No on 1/Protect Marriage Equality campaign.

Each was given 15 minutes for an opening presentation, followed by questions from the audience and ending with three minutes each to wrap up. The dialogue was respectful.

Mutty said though he agreed there should be equal rights for gay and lesbian couples, redefining the term “marriage” in Maine law isn’t the way to get there.

“We see this as a radical cultural change and one that is extremely significant that has far-reaching consequences over the long run for our society,” he said.

The new marriage statute eliminates language praising family and the potential for bringing new life into society. It instead proposes that love is the core of a relationship, that “love binds people,” Mutty said.

“That’s radically different than what we’ve seen traditionally,” he said. “Traditionally, marriage has been, of course, wrapped in the concept of love, but it was the framework for creating family, the framework for controlling male urges to spread the seed across the land and to bring the species together.”

Mutty also highlighted a letter written by academics to Gov. John Baldacci before he signed the new law. The letter outlined concerns they had about the consequences of implementing the statute. For example, Mutty said the law could affect the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland’s ability to offer benefits to the spouses of employees because they would have to extend them to same-sex couples. Mutty said if the current law is not overturned, Maine’s civil marriage law would put the diocese in conflict with its religious beliefs.

But Bellows said religious organizations are exempt from the state’s nondiscrimination law passed in 2005, regardless of what happens with the law allowing same-sex marriage.

“A wonderful thing about the U.S. Constitution and the Maine Constitution is that they guarantee both equal protection under the law, prohibition against discrimination against anyone, and (they) provide for religious liberty,” she said.

Bellows said the law drafted by the Legislature allows for both same-sex marriage and religious freedom protections.

“First, it defines legal marriage as the legal union of two persons; second, it honors marriages in other states; and third, and really, really, truly important, it affirms religious freedom by specifically stating explicitly in the law that no religious institution, indeed no individual, no notary of the public or attorney, no person authorized to marry two people would have to participate in same-sex marriage, honor, solemnize or recognize same-sex marriage,” she said.

Bellows responded to Mutty’s assertion that same-sex couples receive equal rights through a means other than marriage, such as a stronger domestic partnership law, by saying separate rights are not equal rights.

“This is the civil rights moment of our day,” she said. “We cannot construct a separate institution that would solve these problems and also treat all families equally. So think of our friends, think of our neighbors, think of folks right here in Lewiston who just want to be treated equally and fairly under the law.”

Mutty said he wanted to reaffirm the Catholic church’s position on the issue.

“Those that have been very critical about the church, and many have, about the position on this issue, are failing to forget our long history of defending basic human rights and our long history of defending the rights of gay and lesbian people; we have never opposed equality legislation,” he said.

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Shenna Bellows, a member of the NO on 1 Project Maine campaign speaks on gay marriage at the Great Falls Forum at the Lewiston Public Library on Thursday.

Marc Mutty, director of the Office of Public Affairs for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland speaks on gay marriage at the Great Falls Forum at the Lewiston Public Library on Thursday.