Same-sex marriage repealed

I'm very sorry. Personally, professionally, everything. This is terrible. But it has to be said. Jesse Connolly just gave what can only be described as a concession speech at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland. Sure, he said they'd keep fighting, and make sure every vote was counted. But nobody talks that way if they're winning.

The Bangor Daily News results at this hour - 12:50 am - show have 86 percent of precincts reporting, and 53 percent of registered voters in Maine having participated.

The tally is sobering:

Repeal equality - 265,189 - 52.74 percent

Preserve equality - 237,648 - 47.26 percent

This is an awful, horrible sentence to type: Based on the estimated total voter turnout, if every single person who voted in this election, but whose vote has not yet been counted, voted to preserve equality, it would still be repealed.

To all my gay, lesbian, transgender, questioning, etc friends, I can only offer my heartfelt sympathies.

Bigotry has won again. But I, like many, take heart in the teachings of the Buddha: Nothing is forever. Everything is impermanent.

There will be recounts, there will be recriminations. But tonight, there are only tears.