Tag Archives: Maryland

Equality Maryland While we are disappointed the House did not vote to pass marriage equality today, we are confident we will win in the future. With so much at stake today for thousands of Maryland families, we are thankful that our legislative allies have taken such care with this vote. It is best to delay this historic vote until we …

It wasn’t going to pass so it was “sent back to committee.” The Maryland House of Delegates has voted to effectively kill for this year a bill that would have allowed same-sex marriage in Maryland. The House approved on voice vote a motion to send the bill back to the Judiciary Committee, an acknowledgment by supporters that it did not …

Audio only is here. Things are about to start.

The Family Research Council is asking its supporters to pray against equality in Maryland. Pray that the bill to legalize same-sex “marriage” will be defeated in the Maryland House. May Maryland be the Gettysburg in the war to overthrown marriage, and be followed by judicial decisions, legislative and citizen action that uphold DOMA, California’s Marriage Amendment (Proposition 8) and protect …

NOM has just announced a $1M fund to support the reelection campaigns of Maryland Democrats that vote against same-sex marriage. That same fund will be used to oppose the reelection of any Republican that votes in favor of equality. “It’s become quite clear in recent days in Maryland that the Democratic leadership and the same-sex ‘marriage’ lobby will resort to …

Baltimore Archbishop Edwin O’Brien is calling on Maryland’s Catholics to pray and fast on this Friday in order that God hears their call to prevent same-sex marriage. Good As You has the rest of his message: “The institution of marriage can only belong to the union of one man and one woman because nature – not social prejudice – has …

After voting down four hostile GOP amendments, the Maryland House of Delegates has just voted to advance its marriage equality bill to a third (and possibly final) reading tomorrow. Here are the failed poison pills offered by the enemies of equality: Amendment 1: “This Act may not be construed to require an entity to provide adoption, foster care, or social …

Maryland’s House of Delgates today has seven openly gay members as Del. Peter Murphy comes out to the Washington Blade. Del. Peter Murphy (D-Charles County), a divorced father of two who also has two grandchildren, said his colleagues and family have known for years that he is gay. “I have never denied [being gay],” Murphy said, “I just presumed people …

Equality Maryland tweets that the marriage debate before the full House of Delegates is scheduled to begin at 10am tomorrow. They also note that those red-caped whackjobs from the Society for the Defense of Tradition are currently playing their bagpipes outside the state house.

This week’s expected vote by the full Maryland House is going to be a squeaker. Today openly gay Washington Post reporter Jonathan Capehart appeared on MSNBC to talk about those waffling delegates.

After fighting off a myriad of poison pill amendments put forward by the GOP, the Maryland House Judiciary Committee has just advanced its marriage equality bill to the full chamber. Equality Maryland sends this press release: “Marriage provides a critical safety net for families. With this favorable vote from the committee on SB 116, we’re one step closer to providing …

Maryland House Delegate Sam Arora, who yesterday caused quite the furor over indications that he was going to vote against the marriage bill he cosponsored, now says he’s back on board. I have heard from constituents, friends, and advocates from across the spectrum of views and have thought about the issue of same-sex marriage extensively. I understand their concern—this is …

Maryland Delegate Tiffany Alston, one of the key needed votes on the House judiciary committee, is backing away from her promise to support marriage equality. Now Alston says civil unions are the way to go. Delegate Tiffany Alston, D-Prince George’s, delayed a vote on the bill Tuesday morning by skipping the session in protest. On Thursday, she said she is …

After two days of delays and some minor panic due to two wayward Democrats, marriage equality backers in Maryland now think the bill will advance out of the House judiciary committee tomorrow. But it will be a squeaker. Delegates Tiffany Alston, Prince George’s County Democrat, and Jill Carter, Baltimore city Democrat, said Wednesday that they are ready to cast votes …

The Washington Blade has the story.

UPDATE: Worryingly, the vote has been delayed. One of two legislators who went missing Tuesday morning for a committee vote on Maryland’s same-sex marriage legislation said they are withholding their votes on the bill to gain “leverage” on unrelated issues they consider equally important. Del. Jill Carter (D-Baltimore) told reporters Tuesday afternoon that she and Del. Tiffany T. Alston (D-Prince …

JMG reader Michael writes to tip us to the video of his father’s marriage equality testimony before the Maryland House of Delegates last week. Michael’s dad is an active Mormon, a physician, and a colonel in the U.S. Army. Watch this.

The coming marriage equality vote in the Maryland House of Delegates is now thought to be in jeopardy due to a ferocious campaign by anti-gay Christianists. Only a couple of days ago the vote was considered to be an easy win. Lou Chibarro reports at Washington Blade: Backers said that as of this week, the number of delegates who have …