Marriage Bill Passes in Maryland

Yesterday the Maryland House of Delegates voted to permit marriage for same-sex couples. The state Senate is expected to also vote in favor, and the governor has promised to sign the bill.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Maryland House narrowly passed a law legalizing same-sex marriage on Friday, delivering a major victory to Gov. Martin O’Malley, a Democrat, who had proposed it. But its implementation remained uncertain as its opponents promised to take it to voters in November.

The bill, known as the Civil Marriage Protection Act, squeaked by in a 72-to-67 vote, drawing loud applause and cheers from proponents in the House. A similar bill failed in the chamber last year.

The measure still faces a vote in the Senate, where it is expected to pass, before Mr. O’Malley can sign it into law. But opponents have pledged to put in on the ballot for a vote on Nov. 6, a prospect that the bill’s supporters acknowledge is practically a foregone conclusion.

The vote, said Anthony O’Donnell, the Republican minority leader, amounted to “beginning a process, not ending a process. The citizens of Maryland will have the final say.” In Maryland, House Passes Bill to Let Gays Wed

In other words, you can expect a referendum, you can expect the shower-nuts to evoke every gay stereotype they can think of, you can bet money that CRW's president Ruth Jacobs is going to use the term "anal sex" in every forum that will have her.

The immediate fight is not over, but the tide of public opinion has turned dramatically. Most people now see that it is a good thing for people who love one another to marry and start a family.



A little more:

The bill’s passage would make Maryland the eighth state to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. It comes a day after New Jersey’s legislature passed a similar bill, though it was vetoed on Friday by Gov. Chris Christie. New York State legalized same-sex marriage last year, and this month Washington State did so.

In order to be palatable to delegates who were undecided, the bill was amended so that it would not take effect until Jan. 1, 2013, in order to allow the ballot process to take its course. Though Maryland is heavily Democratic, the party is sharply divided on the issue of same-sex marriage.
...
Of 98 Democrats in the House, as many as 30 — mostly more-conservative Democrats known as Blue Dogs, and African-Americans from districts where churches are strong — had been undecided.

The bill’s passage was made possible by two Republicans, three Blue Dogs, and two African-American delegates, none of whom were initially supportive. In interviews, several of those delegates said that a key change from last year that won their support was language protecting religious institutions from being forced to perform marriages.

Governor O'Malley has been a strong supporter of marriage equality in the state. On the other hand, one Montgomery County Delegate who ran on promises of supporting it, with strong backing from the gay community, turned around and voted against it. Metro Weekly:

A Democrat opposing the bill both last year and this year is Del. Sam Arora (D-Montgomery), who had run on a platform that included support for marriage equality but enraged activists in 2011 by opposing the bill when it was being considered. Although advocates had been pushing for him to support the bill this year, he voted "nay" tonight.

Sounds like a guy who can look forward to not being re-elected.

OK, people, time to buckle up and brace yourselves for the referendum fight.