Jul 17, 2009 / 18:25 pm
Marriage restoration advocates have raised almost $350,000 between June 3 and July 3 in their effort to return the state’s legal definition of marriage to being between a man and a woman. Their latest fundraising efforts have netted nearly $500,000.
The Maine legislature recently enacted a same-sex “marriage” law, which may be overturned by a “people’s veto” on the ballot. Supporters must submit 55,087 signatures to have the proposal placed on the ballot and to stop the law from going into effect in September.
Between June and July, Stand for Marriage Maine, the group spearheading the effort to defend traditional marriage, received $100,000 from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland from a special fund, which did not use church collections. The New Jersey-based National Organization for Marriage, which helped pass Proposition 8 in California, contributed $160,000.
Other donations from organizations included $50,000 from the Knights of Columbus, and $31,000 from the Focus on the Family Maine Marriage Committee.