Portland, Maine, Nov 3, 2009 / 00:52 am
A high school counselor is the subject of an ethics complaint to the Maine licensing board because of his appearance in a TV ad in favor of Maine’s Question 1, which would secure the definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman. His defenders say the complaint is an attempt to silence supporters of marriage.
Donald Mendell, a licensed counselor at Nokomis Regional High School, is the subject of a complaint accusing him of violating the state’s code of ethics for social workers because of his expressed position on marriage.
Mendell appeared in a “Vote Yes on 1” ad that would repeal a recent law that recognized same-sex “marriages.” The vote on Question 1 will take place on November 3.
According to a press release from the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), which is representing Mendell, the ad he participated in was a response to a “Vote No on One” ad that featured a Nokomis teacher encouraging a “no” vote from a classroom at the high school itself.