AUGUSTA, Maine—The leader of the Christian Civic League of Maine has taken a first step to launch a referendum drive to ban same-sex marriage and civil unions in Maine. The proposal advanced by Michael Heath would also strike the sexual orientation category from the Maine Human Rights Act.

Heath says if the Maine Secretary of State’s Office approves his petition, he’ll begin recruiting organizers to gather signatures. Putting a referendum on the state ballot requires about 55,000 signatures, or 10 percent of the turnout for the last gubernatorial election.

In 2005, an effort to overturn the Maine law prohibiting discrimination against gays in the areas of housing, education and employment was rejected.