I’ve been looking at the towns of Maine from county to county, comparing them according to their November 2009 vote to preserve marriage equality (NO on Ballot Question 1) or to abolish marriage equality (YES on Ballot Question 1). Sometimes, the results have not been heartening. In even the most gay-friendly counties, some towns voted in a majority to abolish the legal rights of gay and lesbian Mainers. In Androscoggin County, every single town voted in an anti-gay majority. But Piscataquis County, Maine marks a new low in its unfriendliness to gay and lesbian people. In every single town of Piscataquis County, voters turned out not just in an anti-gay majority but in an anti-gay landslide of at least 60% to outlaw same-sex marriage equality.

In the map of Piscataquis County you see below, the only variation to see is between yellow parts of the map, where anti-gay landslides were recorded, and white parts of the map, where too few people live to hold voting precincts at all.

The only gay-friendly parts of Piscataquis County, Maine are the parts that don’t have people in them. As you’re making your travel plans for next summer, you might want to keep that fact in mind.

If you are a gay or lesbian person who is looking for a place to travel in Maine where you feel welcomed, results from the 2009 vote suggest you should avoid Androscoggin County, Maine.

Every single town within Androscoggin County — a relatively populous, relatively urbanized county in central-southern Maine — turned out a majority to undo same-sex marriage equality in the Ballot Question 1 vote of November 3, 2009. Every single one. In the towns of Auburn, Lewiston and Durham, the vote to reject gay and lesbian people getting married stood between 50% and 60%. In the towns of Greene, Leeds, Lisbon, Livermore, Livermore Falls, Mechanic Falls, Minot, Poland, Sabattus, Turner and Wales, the share of voters who acted to nullify same-sex couples’ marriages was higher (often much higher) than 60%.

A large majority of Androscoggin County, Maine has gone to the polls to actively shut gay and lesbian people out of marriage, actively ostracizing them from this this central part of personal and community life. Androscoggin County, Maine has slapped a “Not Welcome” sign on its borders. If you’re looking for a place to visit where you can comfortably hold hands with your same-sex partner, you might want to keep this information in mind.

Should you visit Oxford County, Maine?

If you’re a gay or lesbian American, the question isn’t as simple as looking into the recreational, cultural and historical opportunities of the area. It’s unfortunate, but same-sex couples have to consider whether they’ll be welcomed, shunned or worse.

Recent political activities provide some answers to this question for same-sex couples interested in traveling to Maine. On November 3, 2009, Mainers made same-sex marriage illegal in the state, actively overturning the state legislature’s acceptance of same-sex marriage just a few months before. The vote was very close statewide, with almost 50% voting to keep same-sex marriage on the books. The vote was also unevenly dispersed, with some towns affirming gay and lesbian marriage equality in a landslide, and with other towns rejecting married gays and lesbians by margins of more than 70%.

Below is a map of Oxford County, Maine, a rural county in the west of Maine, bordering Canada and the sparser parts of New Hampshire. I’ve gathered election results for the towns within it and color coded them, with blue towns being the most supportive of same-sex marriage and green towns being moderately supportive. Pink towns, on the other hand, are those that voted with a majority in opposition to marriage equality; yellow towns signify those towns that rejected gay and lesbian people getting married by a large margin. White areas are either so sparse in population as to not have precincts located, or actually had a tie vote (in Stow and Magalloway Plantation, as noted).

If you are part of a gay or lesbian couple and are looking for a place to visit in Oxford County, Maine that is more welcoming to you, try the towns of Fryeburg, Stoneham, Newry and Bethel, where more than half of voters acted to affirm the marriage rights of gay and lesbian couples. Sen. David Hastings of Fryeburg (a Republican!) had introduced his own version of a same-sex marriage equality bill earlier this year. The skiing at Sunday River in the Stoneham-Bethel-Newry area is great fun, as many visitors know.

The remaining towns of Oxford County, Maine acted in a manner hostile to equality and have rejected gay and lesbian America, often in very large numbers. The most anti-gay towns (primarily in eastern Oxford County) don’t behave in a welcoming manner and yet are perplexed that they would have to build a casino to get anybody to visit. Perhaps one day they’ll figure it out.

Discrimination against gay and lesbian people in America is widespread, but it is not universal. In some places gay and lesbian couples holding hands are welcomed. In other places, gay and lesbian couples holding hands get yelled at in public by complete strangers. In yet other places, gay and lesbian couples holding hands are at a serious risk of being assaulted. It is entirely reasonable for gay and lesbian couples thinking of visiting various parts of America to ascertain whether they will be welcomed or shunned there — and in a November 3, 2009 vote welcoming or shunning equality for gay and lesbian people, the communities of Maine have indicated pretty well what kind of treatment gay and lesbian people can expect.

In order to help gay and lesbian couples identify friendly and unfriendly places to travel in Maine, I’ve gathered election results for the 30 towns comprising York County, Maine, the southernmost county in the state. Below is a map of York County that shows those couples where support for gay and lesbian equality is highest and where it is lowest.

The York County towns most friendly to gay and lesbian equality in the November 3, 2009 Ballot Question 1 vote were Kittery, Kennebunkport and Ogunquit. These are the communities in which gay and lesbian couples holding hands are most likely to encounter a spirit of welcome and are least likely to encounter harassment or other negative behavior. Other York County towns in which a spirit of support for gay and lesbian equality formed the majority position in the November 3, 2009 vote are: Eliot, Kennebunk, Old Orchard, Saco, South Berwick, Wells and York.

The York County towns most decidedly unfriendly to gay and lesbian equality in the November 3, 2009 vote were Lebanon and Limington, Maine. In these towns, more than 60% of voters came out to declare that gay and lesbian Americans are undeserving of equality under law. Consider yourself shunned in Lebanon and Limington. The other York County towns in which a majority acted to shun gay and lesbian equality are Acton, Alfred, Arundel, Berwick, Biddeford, Buxton, Cornish, Dayton, Hollis, Limerick, Lyman, Newfield, North Berwick, Parsonsfield, Sanford, Shapleigh, and Waterboro. Gay and lesbian visitors to these towns in Maine should be aware of the record of hostile behavior toward them, and may wish to take that under consideration when deciding whether or not they feel comfortable making a visit.

Violence against gay and lesbian people in the United States is unfortunately a real concern. Just for holding hands in public with the people they love, gay and lesbian Americans have been denied service, pushed, shoved, beaten and killed. It is entirely reasonable for gay and lesbian couples thinking of visiting various parts of America to ascertain whether they will be welcomed there, shunned there, confronted there, threatened there or attacked there.

In order to help gay and lesbian couples identify friendly and unfriendly places to travel in Maine, I’ve gathered election results for the 16 counties of Maine and created a map that shows those couples where support for gay and lesbian equality is highest and where it is lowest.

The counties most friendly to gay and lesbian equality in the November 3, 2009 Ballot Question 1 vote are the southern Maine counties of York and Cumberland and the coastal counties of Hancock and Knox. These are the communities in which gay and lesbian couples holding hands are most likely to encounter welcome and least likely to encounter harassment or violence. The other counties of Maine contain a majority of voters hostile to equality for same-sex couples. Gay and lesbian visitors to these other counties in Maine are more likely to encounter harassment or violence when traveling there, and may wish to take that under consideration when deciding whether or not to make a visit.

In the days to come, I’ll provide more detailed data burrowing down to the town level. Which towns in Maine are safest for gay and lesbian tourists? Which Maine towns are most dangerous?