…“In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions,” Governor Baldacci said. “I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage.”

“Article I in the Maine Constitution states that ‘no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor be denied the equal protection of the laws, nor be denied the enjoyment of that person’s civil rights or be discriminated against.’”

“This new law does not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of its beliefs. It does not require the church to perform any ceremony with which it disagrees. Instead, it reaffirms the separation of Church and State,” Governor Baldacci said.

“It guarantees that Maine citizens will be treated equally under Maine’s civil marriage laws, and that is the responsibility of government.”

Here are all the things you can do today instead of having sex:

1. Take this Relationship Reality quiz to think ahead about what you’d do in the heat of the moment.

2. Set your TiVos. According to The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 8 in 10 teens and adults believe the decade-plus decline in teen pregnancy is due in part to increased media attention to the issue. And  75% of teens say that when a character in a TV show experiences a teen pregnancy, it makes them think more about the consequences of sex. The N, for one, is airing pregnancy-related past eps of shows including “Degrassi” and “South of Nowhere,” plus — don’t fast-forward! — lots of cool anti-preg PSAs. Other goodies appear throughout May on CWTV.com, with stats and info appearing online alongside relevant eps of “Gossip Girl” and “90210.”

3. Read Seventeen. The June issue features an honest look at the real lives of pregnant teens.

4. Abstain from saying mean things about Bristol Palin. Poor kid.

Ayuh!

What the Fudge? Judy Blume is giving advice to teens on the message boards over at Random Buzz! (via BuzzFeed!)

Accident-explanatory slings!

Now if they could just make one for hearts.

… who are not Chris! Or Mike!

Read the piece at Nerve.com to find out how to make your love life go from stop-motion to Flash! Or something. (Chris didn’t write this post, either.)

Bonus: here’s where you can go on your first date.

Fairly Honest Bill is back!

At BG’s request, he was kind enough to offer this noble, wrenching epilogue:

Suzanne was the smartest & most beautiful woman I ever met, even to this day. I wear or own 2 pieces of jewelry, period: a ring with 3 small diamonds that I loaned a friend $20.00 & he could buy it back at anytime so I wear it in case he ever shows up (been 11 years) & the watch Suzanne gave me in 1983.

8 days before we were to be married, with both family & friends in town, the police found out that I had been deported 3 times for working with out a work visa & arrested me. She came to see me in jail. I told her that she worked so hard to become a lawyer & had a career ahead of her, it was best that I should go back to the states & she should claim that I was just a bad boy  boyfriend that never told her about my past. We left it at “We would talk one more time after I got deported.” Well we never did have that talk.

I Google her name every week  for anything new but all I know is she a director of a shelter for battered Women in British Columbia. I don’t know if she ever married or not. I’ve set aside a little money everyday so that if we ever have that talk she promised I would have some  money for her to make up for any damage I did to her career. Maybe someday she will walk through my front door & ring that bell again.

Oh Bill! We hope she does. And we know she’s not the only one who’ll be drawn to your singular, sincere charms. Remember the original Cortina Principle, whence this all began: “Take a close look at yourself, then take a good look around — you’ll be surprised by how much you have in common with other people, and how much there is to talk about.”

From Talking Points Memo:

It used to be that when you saw two men and one woman under a chuppah, everyone’s assigned role was clear. Not any more.

Dig this swoontastic photo essay of Mr. and Mrs. President of the United States. They still look as in love as they were during their first 100 days!

Gays: You can get married in Iowa. But if you tell anyone, you’ll get kicked out of the Guard.

More here.