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Gay marriage is all but legalized in Maryland after the legislature gave its final OK Thursday to the law that's being sent to Gov. Martin O'Malley, who said he expects to sign it sometime this week.
The state Senate voted 25-22 for the law. The vote comes less than a week after the House of Delegates barely passed the measure.
Maryland will become the eighth state to allow gay marriage when O'Malley – who sponsored the bill – signs the legislation. The Democrat made the measure a priority this session after it stalled last year.
"This issue has taken a lot of energy, as well it should, and I'm very proud of the House of Delegates and also the Senate for resolving this issue on the side of human dignity, and I look forward to signing the bill," O'Malley said in a brief interview after the Senate vote.
Opponents, though, have vowed to bring the measure to referendum in November. They will need to gather at least 55,726 valid signatures of Maryland voters to put it on the ballot and can begin collecting names now that the bill has passed both chambers.
Some churches and clergy members have spoken out against the bill, saying it threatens religious freedoms and violates their tradition of defining marriage as between a man and a woman.
Maryland Gay Marriage Bill Approved By State Senate
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- Public Discussion (24)
The religious are pissed, but one more joins the ranks of the 21st century!
- 8 votes
#1 - Fri Feb 24, 2012 12:54 AM ESTThe entire opposition to gay marriage is a result of nothing more than religious indignation, which is why it is inevitable. The government has no business pandering to religious-based outrage.
- 6 votes
How long before the right wingers in the House attempt to cut budget dollars to Maryland?
- 2 votes
I think the right-wingers would love nothing more to start a civil war in the United States. Their interest in living in community with others seems to be dropping to nil, and their ability to compromise with people either domestically or internationally seems to be already at rock-bottom.
- 5 votes
Some day there will come a time when all people will realize that the rights of all Americans to share love, share life, and share the rights as every other citizen, and be part of the happiness that "normal" people enjoy, is a right to be enjoyed by all.
- 3 votes
I wish I shared your optimism. Right now, I think it is 50/50. I fear the possibility that the pinnacle of American civilization was reached during my lifetime (roughly in 1993), and that self-righteous right-wing reactionaries may be successful in pushing American over a cliff, into a deep, dark regressive abyss, wherein the progress achieved for women, minorities, workers and the poor over the last century are systematically rolled-back.
- 2 votes
We're not fight for rights of LGBT, we're fighting for OUR rights.
When rights can be denied for some, they can be denied for all.
- 3 votes
Marital equality for all consenting adults. Its the wave of the future, igniting the present.
All of us are in the same family of humanity. Time to start treating each other with the respect we all crave.
Peace and Blessings to all who commit to love.
Enoch.
- 8 votes
#2 - Fri Feb 24, 2012 1:01 AM ESTAll of us are in the same family of humanity.
Enoch, if I could, I'd wrap your words and give them as gifts!
I hope their initiative fails.
We went through that here in California. First, gay marriage was legal but it stopped after Prop 8 which was affirmative to stop gay marriage passed by a thin margin. So the marriages that occurred in the space are all valid, but we can't do any more.
There are some court challenges afoot for Prop 8 which I won't detail here but we might get gay marriage back. The point is - it's been quite a strange roller coaster and I hope Maryland avoids that fate.
Gay marriage for us is a state/secular issue not a religious one. If anyone wanted to force churches to do gay marriage, I'd be opposed but this is just granting a little respect to other adults in the end. I can hardly see why not.
- 4 votes
#3 - Fri Feb 24, 2012 1:17 AM ESTUnless the right-wing reactionaries continue their success in stacking the courts with justices who will ratify oppression of minority perspectives.
- 1 vote
Could be - it's been quite the roller coaster out here. The whole national right-wing will rally if Maryland puts up an initiative.
The courts would probably be a tougher obstacle in Maryland than for us in California. Our 9th Circuit is one of the most liberal in the country.
Putting citizens civil rights up to a majority vote is about as unamerican as you can get and totally irrelevant ...Good News on its passage though, Go Maryland!
- 4 votes
#4 - Fri Feb 24, 2012 1:33 AM ESTWay to go Maryland government. Equality is never equality until everyone is equal!
- 4 votes
#5 - Fri Feb 24, 2012 1:35 AM ESTFreekin amazing. California had equality for almost 5 months and then stopped. Geeze, Cali is messed up. You go, Maryland!!!
- 6 votes
#6 - Fri Feb 24, 2012 1:56 AM ESTAs a Maryland resident who actually knows a couple who went out of state for their marriage, I'm pretty happy to hear we'll be among the first. When I have grandkids and the gay marriage issue is looked back on the way interracial marriage is now, I'll be able to tell them I was in one of the states that caught on early.
- 5 votes
#7 - Fri Feb 24, 2012 2:07 AM ESTI guess its only a matter of time before Maryland follows those other states on their firely descent into hell...remember when the earth opened up and swallowed Iowa whole? Or when firey hail rained down on Connecticut? /sarc
Hey I grew up in Maryland, it has always been a liberal and progressive state, so glad they finally came around.
Now if only California could get it figured out...
#8 - Fri Feb 24, 2012 2:20 AM ESTWe thought we had it - if that referendum comes around and you squash it then you're home free.
When we had Prop 8, the entire national platform against gay marriage contributed big time to get it to pass (remembering passing was to kill gay marriage we had at the time). I seriously doubt they'll leave Maryland off the table.
So don't be so confident you think you have it figured out quite yet.
saying it threatens religious freedoms and violates their tradition of defining marriage as between a man and a woman
The problem is that "tradition" means very little in the application of law. At one time, "tradition" defined marriage as between two white people or two people of color...that is, of course, no longer the case specifically because of changes in Federal Law.
I also find it very curious that when the Representative Republic form of Government (set in place by our Founder's) works precisely the way it was intended (protecting the weak from the tyranny of the majority), people immediately attempt to backtrack into some form of "democracy" (as these threatened "referendums" are).
The Founders not only had little interest in "democracy", they actively spoke out against it as "the tyranny of the majority".
- 2 votes
#9 - Fri Feb 24, 2012 2:54 AM ESTThis is good news. . . . hope the positive, forward momentum continues.
- 2 votes
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