AUGUSTA -- A prominent figure in Maine's social conservative movement received a death threat at his former workplace Friday, three days after Maine voters approved a repeal of the state's same-sex marriage law.

The Christian Civic League of Maine received an anonymous call Friday afternoon from a man threatening to kill Michael Health, the league's former executive director.

The caller "said he was a gay man who had a gun, and Mike Heath would be his next target," said Fritz Spencer, editor of the League's online newsletter.

"It was clearly related to the result of Question 1," Spencer said, referring to the successful ballot initiative Tuesday that repealed Maine's same-sex marriage law. "He referenced that rights have been revoked, which means the same-sex marriage law."

Heath, who largely sat out the campaign over Question 1, stepped down from his Christian Civic League post in September to open a consulting firm. Heath, 48, lives in South China.

"It's unfortunate that people who have based their campaign on an appeal to tolerance and fairness would resort to this form of intimidation, and this is object proof of the League's claim that the homosexual race movement currently relies on intimidation to achieve its objectives," Spencer said.

Augusta Police Sgt. Chris Massey said an officer investigated. "But it doesn't look like he has very much to go off of right now," he said. "If the number's blocked, it becomes difficult."

The Christian Civic League building on Sewall Street has previously been the object of vandalism. In 2004, Heath received a phone message from an anonymous caller who said, "This is Satan. I am close. I'm watching you."

Heath received that message soon after returning to work after he was put on administrative leave for 30 days.

The Christian Civic League's board had suspended Heath after he published a notice on the group's Web site seeking "tips, rumors, speculation and facts" about the sexual orientation of state legislators and state leaders.

Matthew Stone -- 623-3811, ext. 435

mstone@centralmaine.com