At a recent hearing in Augusta, Maine on a bill to extend marriage to same-sex couples, testimony came from the Episcopal Church. The Bangor Daily News reports:

Although Bishop Stephen Lane of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine did not attend the hearing, he submitted testimony in favor of the bill. The Worldwide Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church is part, is deeply divided over the ordination of noncelibate gay and lesbian clergy and the blessing of same-sex unions. “If we, as Mainers, believe that faithful, lifelong monogamous relationships are among the building blocks of a healthy and stable society, then it is in our interest to extend the rights and obligations of civil marriage to all Maine citizens,” Lane wrote. “To deny those rights to certain persons on the basis of sexual orientation is to create two classes of citizens and to deny one group what we believe is best for them and for society."

The opinion page came out in favor of extending the benefits and rights of same-sex marriage to Mainers.