(Augusta, Maine) A state senator flanked by LGBT rights leaders announced plans Tuesday to bring in legislation this session that would allow same-sex couples to marry.

Sen. Dennis S. Damon (D) said the legislation would amend existing laws defining partners of a marriage to be “the legally recognized union of two people.”

He said the bill would eliminate discrimination in marriage licenses and would affirm that no religion would be forced to conduct a same-sex marriage.

The legislation, he said, also would recognize same-sex marriages from other states where they are legal.

Same-sex marriage bills already have been announced in Vermont, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

The chances of success in Maine are unclear at this stage.

Following Damon’s announcement, the conservative Maine Marriage Alliance said it would press for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.