From Marylanders for Marriage Equality:
Voters approved Question 6, the Civil Marriage Protection Act, paving the way for gay and lesbian couples to receive a marriage license beginning in January. Tonight is the first time in history any state has voted on and passed marriage equality on the ballot.
“Fairness and equality under the law won tonight,” said Josh Levin, campaign manager for Marylanders for Marriage Equality. “We’re sure to feel the ripples of this monumental victory across the country for years to come.”
Question 6 protects religious freedom of churches and clergy. No church or clergy member will have to perform any marriage they don’t want to.
Legislatures and courts have legalized marriage equality in six states and the District of Columbia. Maryland is the first state to legalize same-sex marriage through a vote of the people.
“This victory would not have been possible without the unparalleled leadership of Governor O’Malley, resolve of the LGBT Caucus in the legislature, and the full-court press by the Human Rights Campaign, which has been here day in and day out for more than a year working for full equality.”
Marylanders for Marriage Equality was founded by Governor O’Malley, Human Rights Campaign, 1199 SEIU, ACLU of Maryland, NAACP of Baltimore and Equality Maryland to help pass the Civil Marriage Protection Act through the state legislature earlier this year. Once the law was placed on the ballot over the summer, MDFME formed a statewide ballot campaign to pass Question 6.
Highlights of the campaign:
·Raised $6 million, including: $700,000 online, nearly $1 million from labor, $500,000 from ACLU of Maryland, and $1.9 million from HRC for the ballot campaign ($2.8 million total including the legislative effort)
·Established strong partnership with the national and Maryland NAACP to change hearts and minds in the African-American community
·Developed direct mail and TV advertisements featuring Julian Bond, Revs. Donte Hickman and Delman Coates, Todd Schuler, and Presidents Obama and Clinton
·Recruited 2,000 volunteers to cover polling places on Election Day
·Grew coalition to more than 200 coalition partners
·Mobilized interfaith coalition of mainstream denominations consisting of Protestants, Catholics, Christians, Jews and other faith traditions with a combined congregational membership of 75,000 members statewide
·Elevated stories of gay and lesbian couples and their families
·Built a robust grassroots infrastructure to educate voters that included hundreds of thousands of phone calls, emails, and door-knocks.
Thanks Harford for your sentiments, but Maryland as a whole has got this! Back to coloring (stay inside the lines)
Hey no problem, have fun in divorce court too! Lawyers just doubled – or tripled their clients!
Has the world ended yet?
I voted for it!!!!!! OMG and this year is my year to get hitched. And, we’ll have that nice “good looking – slice of man” Clerk of the Court Reilly” Do Us….. at the fountain in town Belair! I already have the dress! I jus need a BIG-LONG-DARK-MAN; butt don’t we all Ladies? We jus got our Obama Bear back; and he will do jus fine! FYI – I can bang the STRAIGHT out of anything; jus need my hammer! And BOY do I have a HAMMER……..L{}L…… ; ) LOOK…….ME…….UP…….&………HOOK…….ME…….UP! @ baltimore – craigslist – personals – casual encounters – looking 4 hung – m4m – (harford)
or email me at: youtube_myspace @ yahoo . com …….. Butt only if you wood like to see my DAGGER PRESS!!!! TLFN
I blame the internet!
Because, you can’t blame a Democrat they will just blame Bush.
I didn’t realize Bush was divorcing Laura and marrying Karl. When did this happen? When did Democrats blame Bush for passing marriage equality in Maryland? Be specific, please.
It’s nothing short of amazing what people will trade. Some of you will know exactly what I’m talking about, and others will be clueless. If you don’t know – seek the answer about what was traded.
Now the lawsuits begin… any caterer, venue operator, d.j., band, etc. that refuses to work for a SS couple will be sued for discrimination… sure, the churches were exempted, but the rest of you are fair game. If your sense of morality makes someone else uncomfortable, you’ll simply have to discard it for what the majority has decided is appropriate.
i’ll tell u what was traded and is traded and will b continued to b traded or should i say stolen… and that is our constitutional rights!..yes one by one, slowly at first and then all at once. your freedoms are being stripped away everyday by our “Democracy of Hipocracy”…Oh yes. and what i call the “SS” in wash….our sanctimonius saints will make sure you as an american have no say, no recourse, and no power to stop them!!..ur third eye will b opened in a way u will never b able to forget…we are diving head first into a frying pan
Yes, run for your lives. Same sex couples are getting married. The horror, the horror. What’s next, same sex wedding receptions?
I wouldn’t worry- you’re probably not invited to any of these events anyway, and even if Q6 didn’t pass, it wouldn’t change the fact that there are same sex partners, some of whom have been together longer than many of us with our opposite sex partner. This literally has zero effect on you unless you wish to attain a marriage license with someone of the same sex. If that’s not the case, fantastic, go about your business. Those Nazi storm troopers won’t bother you any more with greater freedom for all Americans.
Actually, businesses are legally able to refuse goods or services as they see fit. It’s not good economic practice to turn away customers (less $$), but this law will have literally no effect on opposite sex couples or churches/businesses that do not want to be involved in a same sex marriage.
I’m just glad everyone is keeping a rational head and not jumping to any fascist/socialist/anarchist/atheist/delusional conclusions.