Okay, last night was a tough night for everyone following the results of Maine's Prop 1, the initiative to repeal marriage equality in Maine. From everything leading up to the vote, it seemed our side had done everything right. We had learned the horrible lessons of Prop 8 in California and we were fighting back against the right-wing lies, organizing a grassroots campaign, raising early money. Still, we lost by the same amount 52-48%.

Right now, all I can do is adopt the same attitude I had immediately after California's vote last year: "Don't worry. Time is on side. We will eventually win." I still believe that, but it sucks to think it's all about a bunch of old folks dying. I would hope that we can convince everyone of our equal rights, no matter what age, race or religion.

Anyway, here's part of an email I just got from the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund:

It was tough to watch what happened in Maine, but that painful loss is not the whole story of last night.  We're winning right now in Washington state, and voters in Kalamazoo overwhelmingly embraced equality in their city.  And of the 79 openly LGBT candidates the Victory Fund endorsed for 2009, 50 are winning as of this morning and another six have advanced to runoff elections.   

This was a year when LGBT candidates broke through in places they had never won before.  Now Detroit, Akron and St. Petersburg will have their first openly gay city councilmembers.  Chapel Hill, North Carolina elected an openly gay mayor.  And in Houston one of CNN's "Top 10 Races to Watch" went our way.

Last year the Victory Fund set a goal of helping Annise Parker become the next mayor of Houston, and the first openly LGBT mayor of one of America's largest cities.  Last night she took a huge step toward victory, finishing first in a crowded field of candidates and heading to a final runoff election in mid-December. 

It's apparent that we have moved the goal lines.  We can get employment non-discrimination bills and domestic partnerships. It's just that last hurdle of marriage that seems to be the hard one. But victory will be ours. And remember, we still have five states, which is better than where we were two years ago. We just have to keep chipping away.