I am concerned by the ads in favor of voting “yes” on Question 1. Those ads are a mix of deception and outright lies.

The deception is about lawsuits. There can be grounds for lawsuits against businesses that discriminate, but those lawsuits would not be based on the Marriage Equity Act; they would be based on non-discrimination laws.

What does that mean? Voting “yes” on Question 1 would have no effect of lawsuits. Interesting.

And outright lies — marriage is not a subject in public schools. In Maine, the learning results control the broad content of the curriculum, and “marriage” is not part of that. So those statements in the ads are a complete fabrication.

It might be beneficial to actually read the act and see what it does and doesn’t “require.” The marriage law has explicit provisions to “affirm religious freedom,” and ensures that no religious faith and no person authorized to perform a marriage will be subject to any fine or penalty for refusing to do so. It also clarifies that matters of doctrine, teaching and belief belong with each religious faith.

Voting “yes” on Question 1 does have an effect. It will assure that two people in a long-term committed relationship will not be allowed 1,138 federal benefits and responsibilities, not including hundreds more offered by every state. These are denied to homosexual couples when they are denied the right to civil marriage.

Joanne Dunlap, Rangeley