Maryland Gov: Gay Marriage Bill Should Pass
by Steve W
Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley has said that while he once believed civil unions were enough for the state to fulfill its promise of equality, now the general consensus has moved beyond civil unions and nothing less than full marriage equality will do.
O’Malley, a Democrat, made these comments in an interview during a Tuesday morning appearance on WTOP’s Ask the Gov program.
“I intend to sponsor the bill as part of our legislative package in this session,” O’Malley told host Mark Segraves. “I had made a judgment, Mark, and thought that the place for consensus — the point at which that wave would crest, if you will — was around civil unions. I think we are past that point and I believe that the consensus that needs to be reached is on marital equality rights. And I intend to sponsor that legislation and make it part of our legislative agenda in the upcoming session.”
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And when asked about the chances of passage: “I hope it passes. I think it should pass.”
“I think with every day that goes by I think people become more comfortable with the notion, you know, that laws need to be protected equally in a pluralistic society. And we need to find a way to protect religious freedom. … And sacraments should be left to churches and religious faiths, but a government of laws needs to enforce rights and protect rights equally among all people.”
You will remember that, following New York’s marriage equality victory in July, O’Malley announced he would be sponsoring similar legislation to enact marriage equality in Maryland and, unlike his perceived passive support for an attempt made in the previous legislative session, he would be taking the lead on this new bill.
In announcing the legislation O’Malley placed a particular focus on the religious accommodations and protections that were part of the New York marriage equality legislation, a bill that won the vote of four senate Republicans.
Advocate groups recently held a town hall meeting to announce they were forming a broad coalition, headed by Progressive Maryland, all committed to making Maryland the next state to legalize same-sex marriage. The coalition includes the ACLU, the Human Rights Campaign, and several religious organizations including Maryland Catholics for Equality and the Maryland Black Family Alliance and Pride in Faith.
Earlier this year Maryland legislators seemed poised to pass marriage equality, but legislators in the lower chamber got cold feet and sent the legislation back to committee. It is hoped that, with New York as an example of how marriage equality can be enacted by a bipartisan effort and with Gov. O’Malley leading the push, the mistakes of the past will not occur again.
The yet to be released legislation is expected to be introduced in January.
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