Marriage vote elates South Portland mayor

Following last week’s approval of same-sex
marriage by Maine voters, South Portland
Mayor Patti Smith, right, and her partner
of 19 years, Susan Chase, plan to “be first
 in line” when licenses become available in
early January.

SOUTH PORTLAND — It was after midnight on election night last week when South Portland Mayor Patti Smith got home from celebrating at the Holiday Inn by the Bay with her cohorts in the Mainers United for Marriage Coalition. Still too wired on Maine becoming the first state in the nation to adopt same-sex marriage via citizen petition, there was no way she was going straight to bed.

Instead, she dove for the cupboard, hauled out a few pots and pans, and headed for the street. When Smith, 48, and her partner, environmental consultant Susan Chase, first moved to Philadelphia years ago from their native Michigan, they were surprised by a local New Year’s Eve custom – residents spilling from their homes to pound on kitchenware.

It may not have been New Year’s Eve, but the yes vote meant a new start for gay and lesbian couples across Maine. So, Smith did what felt right in the moment: She made some noise.

“Normally, I try to be a good citizen, but I was so excited,” she said, on Tuesday. “So, I ran outside and banged on our pots and pans for, maybe five seconds – I didn’t want to be too crazy – until my neighbor’s light came on.”

Now, Smith says she and Chase plan to be “first in line” when marriage licenses become available for same-sex couples, sometime in early January.

According to his office, Secretary of State Charlie Summers has 20 days to approve the election tabulations and forward them to Gov. Paul LePage, who then has 10 days to certify the results. The new law will go into effect 30 days after the governor issues his proclamation.

“The Secretary of State’s Office probably will need the full 20 days to finalize everything,” said Megan Sanborn, a special assistant in the office, on Tuesday. “So, same-sex couples in Maine should be able to obtain marriage licenses by Jan. 5, at the latest."

Maine will then join eight other states where same-sex marriage is legal, including Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Washington.

For Smith and Chase, the new law almost makes up for the “heartbreak” they say they felt in 2009, when a petition drive led to the repeal of a same-sax marriage initiative approved by the state Legislature the year before.

Although she and Chase were active participants in that ballot battle, as well as in the one waged this year, Smith says she leaves her sexual orientation at the door to City Hall. She is not a gay city councilor, she says – just a city councilor who happens to be gay.

“If my being here in office helps a young person who may feel a little different because they may be gay, or lesbian, or transgender, then I’m happy to be that role model,” she said. “But being on the council is really, for me, the same as it is for anyone else – it’s just about wanting to give back to my community.”

Still, says Smith, there’s no denying that the vote “is a huge piece of validation,” especially considering that it cleared the hurdle with 68.7 percent of the vote in South Portland.

“I’ve always loved living in South Portland and this makes it even sweeter to be here and feel like this is a community that embraces everyone,” said Smith.

“I’m really proud,” said Chase. “It was interesting to see all the different types of people in Maine who supported the effort. That was really heartening to me.

“It feels like times are changing, like minds and attitudes are changing,” said Chase, voicing some caution over a possible repeal effort. “I’m hopeful that we won’t have to come out and keep proving our love for one another over and over and over again.”

“I’m just excited to say ‘my wife,’” said Smith, with a laugh. “We’ll have to try it for a while and see how it feels. I just know that, in the past, whenever I’ve said ‘my partner,’ some people think we’re in business together.”

Smith and Chase nearly two decades ago through mutual friends at a Halloween party in Ann Arbor, Mich. They’ve been together for 20 years and both say they don’t really need a marriage license to feel a sense of commitment to one another, or a measure of support from their families.

That wasn’t always the case though. Both woman came of age in the early ‘80s, and came out to their parents when just starting college. It was a time when it was hard enough just to openly admit being homosexual, never mind dream of one day being able to marry.

“It was very hard,” recalled Smith. “I grew up in a strongly Catholic family. A lot of tears were shed and it strained our relationship for a while. It was difficult for my parents to grapple with it.”

But, with time, things changed. Smith often tells the story of how, on her parent’s 50^th wedding anniversary, her father Robert thanked his six children. That was surprising, Smith recalled, because she only has two bothers.

“I thought, oh my God, he’s losing it," she said, "but then I realized he was counting among his children not only my two sisters-in-law, but Susan as well.”

That was many years ago and, because of the long support from family and friends, neither Smith nor Chase feels compelled to make a “public announcement” of their love. Being able to marry is more about practical matters, such as beneficiary rights and unquestioned emergency room visits. Mostly, says Smith, other than a brief foray into cookware percussion, it's “back to our work-a-day worlds.”

The couple dreams of seeing the federal Defense of Marriage Act repealed, if only to gain the same glimmer of recognition from the IRS recently granted by Maine voters. Naturally, that will be a much tougher nut to crack.

“I know there’s a big chunk of folks out there who don’t believe in same-sex marriage based on their faith, or other reasons, and that’s OK,” said Chase. “I’m kind of used to being the counterculture. I don’t know if I’d want to become too mainstream.”

“What’s been so gratifying to me about all of this is being able to move people on a human level, it was great gift to be able to talk to people door-to-door,” said Smith. “That’s what it’s all about – being able to coexist with one another and being good neighbors to one another and understanding one another, or at least being able to respect one another.”

After taking out a marriage license at the first available opportunity, Smith and Case say they will probably hold a small, private ceremony of some kind next spring. Still, although they play nonchalant about wedding plans, that doesn’t mean Smith isn’t excited about the prospect.

“I heard somebody else wants to be first in line for a license,” she said. “I might camp overnight just to be sure we get it.”