Marriage Equality In Maryland

A heads up from a reader:

My state, Maryland, is poised to take a big step forward this week by legalizing same sex marriage. The State Senate appears to have the 24 votes to advance the bill and the House of Delegates is more than ready to pass it.  The Governor will sign the bill without pause. 

I am proud of my state.  Our General Assembly meets only 90 days a year and passes only 1/3 of the introduced bills (by law, the only bill that must pass is the state budget).

Often, the GA will kick the ball down the street rather than tackle a difficult piece of legislation (they have been doing so with the death penalty for over a decade).  Many state senators who oppose gay marriage have stated publicly that while they oppose the bill, they will vote for it so they are on the right side of history, which amazes me.  They cite co-workers and family friends who they feel deserve the dignity of full equality.

As a heterosexual male who has been married for over 10 years, I am excited.  I live on a street with one gay couple, who this summer can be legally married (they married in their church years ago).  Their employers and the church recognize their union and now the state is catching up. Next stop - the Federal government!

More details here. From the above Youtube:

The interfaith council lead by the "Standing on the Side of Love" campaign, gathered together religious leaders of many faiths and denominations; from episcopal, to Catholics, to Jewish, to Southern Baptist and many others.  All spoke from a perspective as to why they feel their faith should support marriage equality for same-sex couples. This is father Joe Palacios comments from the Catholic perspective.

Money quote from Palacios:

Here in Maryland - the cradle of Catholicism, of the American Catholic Church - we have a long history of Catholics forging a new path for justice and freedom for all.

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