Maryland's having a very homo-friendly week.

Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler came out to support gay marriage, saying,

It would be hard for me to have this job knowing there is something so wrong in our society. I just think it's wrong to discriminate against any people because they think differently or because of their sexual orientation.

Gansler's comments come as the state's lawmakers hear testimony from both sides of the nuptial divide.

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Maryland lawmakers are set to debate gay marriage this season. In an effort to measure their citizens' stance, the Baltimore Sun recently polled readers to see where they stand on the controversial issue - and with promising results:

As the General Assembly gears up for a debate on the rights of gay couples, a solid majority of Maryland voters supports some form of legalized same-sex unions, according to a recent Sun poll.

Nineteen percent of likely voters said they support gay marriage, and 39 percent said they back civil unions, meaning that nearly three out of five believe the state should formally recognize same-sex relationships.
…
Thirty-one percent of those polled said they disagree with granting either form of same-sex unions, but only half of those opponents said a constitutional amendment is needed to ban them.

That's a step in the right direction….

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.

Maryland may want to mull allowing same-sex nuptials. A UCLA study shows that a marriage move would give the state about about $14 million in tax revenue over three years:

A booming wedding industry could swell Maryland's budget by millions if gays were permitted to wed, according to a university report released yesterday.

The study, by UCLA School of Law's Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, estimates that spending on gay nuptials could top $280 million the first three years, generating $14 million in tax revenue during that time.

While the state would see some reductions in other tax revenue, including income, transfer and inheritance taxes, the study concludes that extending marriage benefits to gays could result in a net gain of $3.2 million a year.

Maryland's politicos would do well to reconsider September's anti-gay marriage decision, huh?

Maryland's split! A little more than half of Maryland-based Americans oppose same-sex marriage. More than half of the state's residents, however, approve of the less sacred "civil union".

51 percent said they oppose allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry, and 44 percent said they support changing the law to allow that.

But Marylanders are far more open to the idea of allowing gay and lesbian couples to form civil unions, giving them some of the same legal rights as married couples. Fifty-seven percent support civil unions; 39 percent oppose them.

Apparently the Free State residents can't free their minds from traditional definitions.

There's some trend bucking in Baltimore, where a group of black activists have come out for gay marriage. Under the leadership of Elbridge James (pictured), the Maryland Black Family Alliance will push their peers to join the call for gay civil rights. Says James:

There's a scarcity of information on this issue in the black community. The black press doesn't cover it; talk radio doesn't cover it. … We have this sort of 'don't ask, don't tell policy' in our community.

As James talks gay rights, others question the parallels between gay and black social movements. Politico pastor Emmett C. Burns Jr objects to the correlation:

I get really bent out of shape when you talk about gay and lesbian rights as a civil rights issue. Whites can hide their gayness; I cannot hide my blackness.

First, that's not always true. Second, did Burns just imply that all gays are white?!

Maryland's homos will have to wait for their wedding bells. The state's high court upheld a 2004 ban on gay marriage this morning. In their ruling, the judicial party poopers wrote that ban doesn't violate the state's constitution, nor do gay citizens have a "fundamental right" to marry.

Retired but participating Judge Glenn Harrell wrote:

In declaring that the State's legitimate interests in fostering procreation and encouraging the traditional family structures in which children are born are related reasonably to the means employed by [the law banning same-sex marriage], our opinion should by no means be read to imply that the General Assembly may not grant and recognize for homosexual persons civil unions or the reasons.

General Assembly, you listening?

Louisiana State University student Michael Denton has loads to say about Montgomery County's decision to include gays in sex ed. In addition to saying Maryland's lost its collective mind, Denton writes:

America needs to grow in self-confidence on this debate. The homosexual argument is illogical; sexuality is obviously meant for reproduction. Any sexual activity that is opposed to life is intrinsically disordered. Yet we continue to refuse to stand up for ourselves, allowing courts, school boards and speech codes to dictate political correctness to us.

We've never understood the "sex is only for procreation" argument. If it's simply practical, why does it - cough - come with so much pleasure?

[PS: As you've noticed, we're making "Homophobes Say The Darndest Things!" into a regular feature. We've been trying to think of the perfect image to accompany these little blurbs. Any suggestions, readers?]

Do gays deserve a place in sex education? Maryland's Montgomery County schools recently said "Oh, yes!".

Prudish parents protested the district's progressive, "immoral" politics. And they may not alone:

According to a 2004 national poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and National Public Radio, roughly three out of four parents say it is appropriate for high schools to teach about homosexuality, but about half say it is appropriate in middle school.

When asked about the issue in greater detail, more than 50 percent of high school and middle school parents supported teaching what homosexuality is about “without discussing whether it is wrong or acceptable.” Only 8 percent of high school parents and 4 percent of middle school parents said schools should teach “that homosexuality is acceptable.” The survey had a margin of error of 6 percentage points.

So, parents would rather have their kids know about gays, but think it's better to leave morality out of the picture? That's like schooling them on slavery and neglecting to say it's wrong: backward.

Some Maryland students will finally get a decent sex education. The State Board of Education voted to add gay-inclusive lessons to Montgomery County's carnally-minded curriculum.

Two lessons, totaling 90 minutes, will be added to health courses in grades eight and 10 in the fall, along with a 10th-grade lesson and instructional DVD on the correct use of a condom.

The curriculum revisions, while short, place Montgomery in the forefront of a movement toward more candor in teaching about homosexuality in public schools.

No longer will students have to wonder about "gay" and "straight", but can march into the future knowing that sex isn't perverse, dangerous or sinful.

It's a fact of life.

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• Gerard Butler. Naked. 'Nuff said. [!! omg blog !!]

• It sure is hard being gay in suburbia. Especially when you can't find a whore to settled down with you. [Daily Herald]

• It's alright to be gay in Latin America. Just remember not to try to be too normal. [The Economist]

• Stephen Colbert on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'. [PageOneQ]

• The Roxy's closing on Saturday. Get you glitter, glow sticks and shitty club mixes and live it up. [NY Observer]

• South African flick Black Beaulahs takes a look at the lives of three gay men in Soweto. Did you know that "beaulah" is South African slang for beautiful man? Well, now you do… [Mamba Online]

• The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force sez, "Porn stars are just like us!" [AmericaBlog]

• A Forrest Gump sequel? Vomit. [Ain't It Cool?]

• Maryland's Montgomery County School says fuck you to haters and vows to keep teaching about homosexuality. [Washington Times]