enlarge John Ewing/Staff Photographer

Carla Hopkins, right, her partner, Victoria Eleftheriou and their son Eli address the legislative committee Wednesday during a hearing on same-sex marriage in Augusta.

enlarge John Ewing/Staff Photographer

Ella Warren, 9, of Freeport makes a tearful appeal in support of same-sex marriage with her mother Kate. Speakers on both sides of the issue often focused on children Wednesday.

enlarge John Ewing/Staff Photographer

Pastor Dave Adams of West Gardiner’s First Parish Church was one of many religious leaders to speak in opposition of gay marriage, but some also spoke in favor of the measure.

enlarge John Ewing/Staff Photographer

Nearly 200 people of wide-ranging backgrounds testified, traveling from all over the state to attend the hearing at the Augusta Civic Center.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

THE JUDICIARY Committee will bring a recommendation to the full Legislature.

THE LEGISLATURE could defeat the bill, pass it with a recommendation that it go to a statewide November referendum, or approve it outright.

IF PASSED, it would still have to be signed by Gov. John Baldacci to become law. He has opposed gay marriage in the past.

IF THE LEGISLATURE votes to approve it outright, opponents say they will launch a people's veto effort to put the question on the November ballot.

AUGUSTA—For more than 10 hours on Wednesday, lawmakers at a hearing on same-sex marriage legislation heard testimony that in turns was passionate, personal, heart-rending and fiery.

At its peak, a crowd of nearly 4,000 people packed into the Augusta Civic Center for the hearing. Nearly 200 people spoke on a bill that would allow same-sex marriage in Maine, about half for, half against. They lined up behind two lecterns, patiently waiting their turn to tell their stories or share their opinions.

Opponents largely raised arguments based on religion and on what they thought permitting gay marriage in Maine would do to the institution of marriage and to children.

Supporters spoke of how their gay families are treated as second-class in Maine society because they cannot marry. Others spoke of legal problems that often arise because gay couples have no legally recognized relationship without being married, such as when one partner dies.

The hearing was generally civil throughout the day, despite strong opinions on both sides.

In presenting his bill to the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dennis Damon, D-Trenton, said that Wednesday was "one of the most meaningful days of my legislative career."

"I have faith in you, for you are the sons and daughters of Lady Liberty and Madame Justice," said Damon. "You will not forget it's fair, it's right, it's time."

Those who testified came from all corners of the state and included truck drivers and bishops, doctors and an attorney general.

Bishop Richard Malone, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, said the church supports civil rights for all, but does not back gay marriage.

"We speak in opposition of same-sex marriage because we are deeply concerned about the institution of marriage itself, in this state and in this nation," said Malone.

Marriage is facing challenges from many angles, from the high rate of divorce to the struggles of single parents, Malone said. The damage to children is dramatic, he said.

"Please remember that marriage is not simply an economic compact. In nearly every culture, it's a social institution," said Malone.

Monica Hamkins, 73, of Brunswick testified in favor of the bill with her daughter and her daughter's partner. Hamkins said she's been married for 51 years and is Catholic. She said her daughter's relationship is every bit as strong as her own.

"The bishop does not speak for me," said Hamkins. "God made gay people. I don't believe he made them to live their lives alone."

The Rev. Rich Gustafson, pastor at First Baptist Church in Westbrook, said that children need both a father and a mother in a family. Allowing gay marriage would deny that, he said.

"It will rob children of the necessary and different experiences that mothers and fathers expose children to," said Gustafson.

"The institution of marriage as we know it will end."

There were plenty of religious speakers on the other side of the issue as well.

Mark Worth, pastor of the Universalist Unitarian Congregation in Castine, stood with about 115 fellow clergy members, the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry.

"We are here to bear witness that many religious leaders honor and bless the love and commitment of same-sex partners," he said.

The Rev. Deborah Davis Johnson, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Portland, said to the committee that "what Jesus teaches is love – inclusive, nonjudgmental love."

"Jesus led a life of justice – we are called to do the same," she said.

The Rev. Paul Dumais, the Catholic pastor at Saint Joseph's College in Standish, said men and women should accept their sexual identity, as it is oriented to the good of marriage and the flourishing of the human family.

The Book of Genesis spoke on the ordering of the masculine and feminine, he said.

"Marriage between one...