AUGUSTA, Maine — Mike Heath and other former heads of the Christian Civic League of Maine have formed a new group, Equal Rights, not Special Rights, in an effort to remove protections for LGBT Mainers from the Maine Human Rights Act.

They said they’re tired of being forced to accept the homosexual lifestyle.





Paul Madore and this small group of people say they want to restore America to its former greatness by repealing same-sex marriage laws and removing protections based on sexual orientation from the Maine Human Rights Act.

But the first battleground for Equal Rights, not Special Rights is to push for a citizen’s initiative to remove the phrase “sexual orientation” from the Maine Human Rights Act, even though Maine voters passed the measure 11 years ago.

“If it’s removed, what does it do?” Heath said. “It very simply moves something, a behavior that belongs in the closet back into the closet.”

Matt Moonen of Equality Maine called the referendum this group is pushing a waste of time.

“They think they can force people to accept their world view,” Moonen said. “That’s just not what America is, not what the state of Maine is. And it’s not going to work.”