Maryland, Washington and American activists are mourning the death of Senator Gwendolyn Britt this Monday. The Maryland-native died unexpectedly at the age of 66. A dynamic civil rights activist, Britt used her social and political influence to fight for universal equality, including gay marriage:

Britt, who has long fought for equality issues, was to become the lead Senate sponsor of the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act when it’s introduced this month in the Maryland General Assembly.

“This is a devastating loss, because Sen. Britt was a leader on the issue,” said Dan Furmansky, executive director at Equality Maryland
…
Britt embraced the issue and spoke in support of marriage equality during a February 2007 rally outside the Maryland State House.

“If two people love each other, why shouldn’t they be allowed the same rights as every other individual?” she said. “Why shouldn’t they be entitled to the same privileges and responsibilities…

Senator Rich Madaleno will reportedly back the bill in the wake of Britt's death.