Maine legalizes same-sex marriage

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Last week Maine became the fifth state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage. Maine’s Democratic-controlled Senate voted 21-13 in support of the bill, which redefines marriage as the legal union of two people rather than between a man and a woman. Maine’s Democratic-controlled House of Representatives voted 89-57. The House spent nearly three hours in what has been described as an emotionally-charged debate.

One of the seven Republicans Representatives to vote in favor of the bill is Representative Pat Flood. In this interview on "The Takeaway," he talks about how he wrestled with the issue and reached his decision.

Flood calls himself a "moderate, somewhat independent Republican." He says he’s neutral on same-sex marriage: "It really wasn’t a topic that I spent a lot of time thinking about … and frankly like a lot of legislators, I almost would rather not have to deal with it, but fact of the matter is, that it comes to us and we have to deal with it."

He explains his decision and how he thinks it will affect his state: "To me I guess it wasn’t so much about my traditions or my values, or opinions voice by others, but the whole discussion on gay marriage was really about gay people, who would like the freedom to get married. And the fact is, like it or not, they had to get permission from other people — like legislators and governors — before they can do that. And I think now that that’s done, I think it expresses to all the country that Main is the state recognizes people’s freedoms, and encourages tolerance and a celebration of our differences, and I think that’s a good thing.

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