A new TV ad opposing Maine's same-sex marriage referendum features a Vermont couple who were sued for not hosting a lesbian couple's wedding reception at their inn.
In the ad, Jim O'Reilly of the Wildflower Inn in Lyndonville says he and his wife paid $30,000 and can no longer host any weddings because they didn't support the gay wedding due to their religious beliefs.
Gay marriage opponents say the ad's message is that legalizing same-sex marriage in Maine will have a chilling effect on free speech and that people will no longer feel free to follow their religious convictions.
Supporters of Maine's Nov. 6 ballot question seeking to legalize gay marriage say the O'Reillys were sued because they violated Vermont's anti-discrimination laws, not because gay marriage is legal in Vermont.
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