Peter LaBarbera says the Maine media simply aren't asking the right questions of those who want to keep the state's gay marriage law on the books. LaBarbera heads up Americans for Truth, a conservative group that monitors gay and transgender groups. He says reporters should question why groups such as the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, which have contributed to the No on One campaign, openly support what he calls a "sexual freedom agenda."

"Which advocates tearing down all laws against decency, pornography, adult clubs -- they even advocate for public sex in the streets," LaBarbera says. "Is this information getting out? Do Maine citizens know that one of the leading groups organizing behind No on One has one of the most radical sexual agendas ever conceived?"

Long-time gay rights opponent Paul Madore of Lewiston goes even further. He says the real goal of gay advocacy groups working for same-sex marriage is really nothing more than to place a stamp of approval on a lifestyle that would otherwise be rejected by the masses. To make his case, Madore read an excerpt from a book by gay activist and lawyer Paula Ettelbrick.

"These are her words: 'Being queer is more than setting up house, sleeping with a person of the same gender and seeking state approval for doing so. Being queer means pushing parameters of sex, sexuality and family, and in the process, transforming the very fabric of society.' So there you have it."

"It's a total publicity stunt," says No on One Campaign Manager Jesse Connelly. "Where's Mark Mutty, where's the bishop? Why aren't they here today?"

Connelly noted that Mutty and other representatives of the Stand for Marriage Maine group were not on hand for the event, although their banner was. The only thing to come out of the press conference, he says, was more anti-gay rhetoric. "They've got these groups out here today, essentially going after and carrying the banner of hate-filled rhetoric, talking about things that have nothing to do with this election."

One of the groups on hand in Augusta, called Mass Resistance, has been classified as a hate group by the southern Poverty Law Center. Brian Camaker, director of Mass Resistance, dismisses the designation as political.

"You know, I've said to these guys, 'Come up with something we've ever done that makes us a hate group,'" Camaker says. "The problem is the Southern Poverty Law Center is a political active group, there are no left-wing hate groups that they have. I think if you're going to do something like that, it's all a political thing. I think it's basically a joke, it's a political ploy."

Following the State House press conference, Stand For Marriage Maine did in fact disavow any connection to the coalition, saying the speakers' statements were strictly their own.