San Francisco Company Profits from Maine Marriage Ban

Criswell Associates made a mint keeping marriage away from the gays in Maine.

Across the country in Maine, opponents of marriage equality were victorious -- partly by blaming people from outside the state for trying to make up the minds of Mainers for them.

Thing is, that very message was spread in part by none other than Criswell Associates, a marketing firm headquartered on Maiden Lane near San Francisco's Union Square.

The company's work for Stand For Marriage, the anti-equality group in Maine, was disclosed through campaign expenditure filings, though not directly named.

The filings revealed that the company has been paid hundreds of thousands of dollars, and is owed hundreds of thousands more, for service such as purchasing advertising time and space to spread the anti-equality message.

The company receives a percentage of the advertising money spent for its services, and may have "made between $60-$70K in the last week in straight billings" during the run up to election day, according to another marketer quoted by the San Francisco Appeal.

So next time someone complains about "San Francisco liberals," feel free to remind them that a San Francisco company was more than happy to help take away the rights of gays and lesbians in Maine.

Jackson West thinks Criswell Associates might want to think about moving to a new office.

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