Tag Archives: Maryland

Maryland’s first same-sex marriages will take place tonight shortly after the first stroke of the new year. The mayor of Baltimore has ordered the opening of City Hall for the ceremonies. “New Years Day will have a new meaning for the hundreds – if not thousands – of couples who will finally have the right to marry the person they …

As you’d guess, this wedding vendor isn’t being “forced” to do anything.  They aren’t even going out of business, despite Brian Brown’s typical lie. An Annapolis wedding vendor plans to ask Maryland’s General Assembly to give his company and others like him the right to refuse services to gay couples on religious grounds. “The law exempts my minister from doing …

The Maryland Attorney General says so. Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler said on Thursday same-sex couples can begin to marry in the state on Jan. 1. He wrote in a 19-page opinion that clerks can begin to issue marriage licenses to gays and lesbians as soon as Dec. 6, as long as they don’t take effect until the same-sex marriage …

The Associated Press reports on the three states about a boom in business due to same-sex weddings. Add the coast of Maine, the banks of the Chesapeake Bay and the shores of Lake Washington to gay wedding destinations. Next month and in January, laws go into effect in Maine, Maryland and Washington that allow same-sex marriage. They’re the first states …

In what may be a rerun of the battles fought in New York state, the anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund is telling Christian clerks in Maryland, Maine, and Washington that they do not have to issue same-sex marriage licenses if they find that offensive. Three new legal memos advise municipal clerks in Maine, county clerks in Maryland and county auditors in …

Dan Savage has launched Straight Up Thanks, a Tumblr site where he invites you to post the photos and stories of our straight allies who were so very important in our unprecedented string of wins last week. WE COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT THEM. We are LGBT people who want to thank the straight people who helped us win marriage …

AFER has the timeline: Maine December 6 at the earliest. This date may change. The initiative goes into effect 30 days after the governor makes a “public proclamation of the result of the vote,” within 10 days after the result has been determined. Maryland January 1, 2013. This date was included in the original legislation passed by the state’s General …

Reuters speculates: Historically, the Supreme Court has provided a single national framework on social issues like same-sex marriage, said James Essex, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union. But it generally does so only after much of the country has reached a consensus, said Essex, who helped bring one of the challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act. In …

Matt Stopera reports at Buzzfeed: “Keesha Patterson of Ft. Washington, Maryland, proposed to her girlfriend, Rowan Ha, during the election night victory rally at President Barack Obama’s headquarters in Chicago. Maryland voted in favor of gay marriage last night.” The best part is the onlookers.  (Via Zack Ford @Think Progress)

The final tally is not yet in and the margin remains slim, but several major LGBT rights organizations are claiming victory for marriage in Maryland. Via 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 …

“So here was the mayor of New York giving a quarter of a million dollars, coming down to Maryland discussing the matter. While he’s here somebody whispers in the ear, you better go back home and protect your stock because God is sending judgment. The thing came through the area. You have to understand the season and the time. It’s …

“If [polls claim that] the country supports same-sex marriage, and you’ve got the red states and the blue states evening each other out, and we’re still winning in the deep blue states, there’s something wrong with the polling saying that we nationally support same-sex marriage. It’s just statistically impossible. This makes clear that the people of this country know that …

(Via Good As You)

From the Baltimore Sun: The case for Question 6, which would affirm Maryland’s law authorizing same-sex marriage, is simple. It upholds the principle that the law should treat everyone the same. Marriage is both a religious and a civil institution. Churches, synagogues and mosques have always set their own rules about which marriages they recognize, and this law does not …

A commenter at the Baltimore Sun correctly notes: “The response selections given for Question 6 (Same-sex marriage) are completely wrong. The referendum is either FOR or AGAINST. The word ILLEGAL is inappropriate because the law has already passed to make same-sex marriage LEGAL. This particular poll question is very misleading.” The Sun breaks down the trends: A month ago, the …

(Via Good As You)