A constant weakness in campaigns for marriage equality has been the ability of its opponents to portray themselves as standing up for marriage, supported by religion - and our side as somehow against marriage, and anti-religious. This is patently ridiculous: it is precisely because we recognize the value of marriage and support it, that we want access to the institution, including religious recognition of our relationships. The deception however has been widely successful - how could wavering voters in California possibly vote “no” on Proposition 8, when that appeared to be voting against marriage?

In Maine this year, it’s different. It’s the supporters of marriage equality who have put the measure on the ballot, and have (correctly) framed the issue as support for marriage, with their slogan, “Vote Yes for Marriage”. It’s the opposition, those wanting to preserve discrimination, who have to persuade their supporters to vote against marriage.

What’s more, the opponents no longer have a monopoly on the arguments from religion. The supporters of marriage have been notably successful in putting together a coalition that includes a wide range of faith groups and religious leaders. In announcing a steady expansion in their coalition of organisations supporting the referendum, Mainers United for Marriage included a strong group of religious leaders:

In addition to organizations, businesses and individuals who publicly support the Nov. 6 referendum that would allow same-sex couples to marry, nearly 350 members of the clergy and of the faith community have announced their support for the campaign, McTighe said. Ministers and pastors in 20 different denominations from 158 towns have signed a religious affirmation of same-sex marriage.

“I want to publicly recognize and celebrate the breadth of support for marriage for same-sex couples from many faith traditions,” the Rev. Elaine Hewes, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bangor, said at the press conference. “For those people of faith who are making up their minds, it’s helpful to know that there are many faithful people who support the freedom to marry not despite the teachings and values in their faith traditions, but because that’s where they believe the teaching and values of their faith traditions ask them to stand.”

At the press conference, Hewes represented the Religious Coalition Against Discrimination, an interfaith organization of religious and lay leaders that works to educate and publicly advocate for the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.

Around the world, religious leaders like Rev Hewes who are speaking up for marriage are increasingly visible. In Scandinavia, the national churches of Sweden, Iceland and Denmark all practice marriage equality, with the support of their bishops as well as secular law. Finland is likely to follow suit next year. In the US, the Episcopal church last week agreed on a national rite for church blessing of same - sex unions, and just a week earlier, the Presbyterians very nearly succeeded in an attempt to make their language for marriage gender - neutral, and several hundred Methodist clergy have publicly declared their personal willingness to conduct marriages without discrimination. In the UK, some faith groups were instrumental in the legislative changes to permit civil partnerships in church, and have been prominent voices for equality in the recent government consultations, nationally and in Scotland.

Last month, Huffington Post assembled a collection of reflections by nine gay and lesbian religious leaders from a range of faith traditions, to share their thoughts on the religious value of marriage in their own lives.

This is how Rev Hewes described her own religious motivation for supporting LGBT inclusion in religious marriage:

“There is no clearer image of God’s relationship with us than that of a relationship in which two persons promise their unconditional love and support to one another, ‘for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as they both shall live,’” she said. “As a person of faith I believe I am called to support and foster all such committed relationships, not only because it is a justice issue, but because such relationships are beneficial for the larger community and give us a glimpse of the fullness of life which God longs for us all.”

Related articles

• Progress towards (Church) Marriage Equality
• Presbyterian Church, USA: Strong Progress on Inclusion
• Marriage Equality, in Church, Comes to Denmark.
• Blessing Same - Sex Unions: “The Jesus Thing to Do”
• Multi-faith Perspectives on the Grace of Gay Marriage
• Priest says ‘I’ll walk to York for gay marriage’
• Mark Osler’s Christian Case for Gay Marriage
• Celebrating Our Relationships
• English Bishops: God’s Grace in Gay Marriage

• Marriage Equality Update (andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com)
• What’s in A Name? A report on Equal Marriage (thinkinganglicans.org.uk)