Governor Martin O’Malley just signed Maryland’s marriage-equality bill, reports the AP, making it the eighth state in the U.S. to legally recognize same-sex nuptials.
The bill won’t go into effect until January 2013, but 0pponents have already mobilized to get the nearly 56,000 signatures required to put the issue to a referendum. Gay and lesbian couples can only hold their breath to see if anti-equality forces get enough names. If they do, voters will decide the issue in November and, as in Maine, the measure could be silenced by the will of the public.
O’Malley released a statement after signing, saying:
For a free and diverse people, for a people of many faiths, for a people committed to the principle of religious freedom—the way forward is always to be found through greater respect for the equal rights of all; for the human dignity of all.
Religious freedom was the very reason for our State’s founding. At the heart of religious freedom is the freedom of individual conscience. If there is a thread that unites the story of our people, it is the thread of human dignity; the dignity of work; the dignity of family; the dignity of every child’s home; the dignity of every individual.
We are One Maryland, and all of us, at the end of the day, want the same thing for our children: to live in a loving, stable, committed home protected equally under the law.
Sounds pretty straightforward, no?
Photo via MDGovPics
jj
Gay marriage across the US is inevitable. If our current administration wasn’t so ignorant they would realize this and just repeal DOMA.
No-Obot
Didn’t you mean to write: …like Maine, the lawmakers’ marriage-equality bill could be silenced by a symbolic lynch mob at the polls, like in the racist Old South — except with a ballot instead of a rope.
William
Wow I wondered what it would feel like to live in a state where there was marriage equality. I guess I don’t have to wonder anymore.
ChrisC
Didn’t they purposely make sure the law won’t go into effect until January 2013 so opponents wouldn’t be able to overturn the law? How can people vote on something which won’t yet be in effect?
No-Obot
@jj: Oboma didn’t have to defend DOMA (and DADT for the matter) for his first two years in office in the first place, and when the DEMS had control of both Houses of Congress both could have been repealed. Swine that Obama is, and now he is craven enough to expect the GLBT community to pony up with millions in campaign contributions and delivery him our votes.
If a Marriage Equality plank is not included in the Democratic Platform this election, no one should vote for the hateful bastards. And that includes Obama for not “evolving” on the issue before election day. The vast majority of Democrats support full equality for our community and those people who do not are mostly Republicans and so-called Reagan Democrats (who will not vote for Obama anyway), plus a number of homophobe in the Black and Hispanic community who have the nerve to call themselves Democrats, but who would no doubt vote for Obama again if he had the balls to stand up and school them for the obvious hypocrisy of their bigotry.
Obama was nothing to lose, except the much abused loyalty of his liberal base — and the election — if he betrays us again.
1equalityUSA
Who will Santorum or Romney pick for supreme court justices?
jeff4justice
@1equalityUSA: The 2 party system goes in cycles so who cares. A few Republican appointees have been striking down anti-LGBT legislation anyway.
The Green Party and Peace and Freedom Party are what the Democrats should be. Instead the Dems are more and more like Republicans as they support indefinite definition, environmental destruction, Monsanto CEOs in the FDA, bills to censor the internet, and bills to hinder free speech.
It’s stupid when Occupy bitches about things and keeps voting for Democrats and Tea Party keeps bitching about things and keeps voting for Republicans.
The media will not tell you who the alternative party cnaidates are (not in a neutral unbiased context anyway) so read your voter guides and vote for real pro-equality and pro-alternative party candidates.
Get over the lesser-of-evil abuser/victim mentality.
tjr101
@jeff4justice: A third party candidate for president is pure fantasy. Even if a third party candidate were to miraculously win a general election, he/she would be essentially a lame duck because they would not have the majority in congress to get anything done.
The only thing a third party candidate does is split the vote ie Ross Perot in 1992 and Ralph Nader in Florida 2000.
Aric
@ChrisC: I thought they could still overturn it and those 56,000 or so votes to do so could be collected now. Not sure on that though.
Robert in NYC
@No-Obot: So sit home in November, let Romney or Santorum take over. Forget Ron Paul, going nowhere, plus he support DOMA if states so legislate. You’d get NO repeal with him in control and you’re certainly not going to have any equality with a republican as president. See the larger picture. Democrats no longer sign away our rights like Christie did recently, but every republican governor will. Be careful what you wish for. You won’t be able to bash Obama or the democrats by not voting or voting for a republican, but then you’re giving them your vote by staying home anyway. Have a nice life.
Steve
@jj wrote: “If our current administration wasn’t so ignorant they would realize this and just repeal DOMA.”
Nonsense. The Obama administration has stopped defending DOMA, and Obama has said that he would sign the bill to repeal DOMA if Congress passes it. The entire reason DOMA has not been repealed is that the _Republicans_ in the Senate have blocked the repeal. The bill to repeal DOMA is called the Respect for Marriage Act, or RFMA (H.R. 1116,S. 598).
Steve
@ChrisC:
No, they chose to make it go into effect in January 2013, so that the opposition would have time to gather the signatures and hold the referendum _before_ it goes into effect. The choice of effective date was one of the compromises that they made to get the votes in the legislature.
The real decision on Marriage in Maryland, will be made in the referendum process.
Robert in NYC
Actually, Obama and his chickenshit Democrats in both the House and the Senate did nothing to bring DOMA to the floor, and only a self-hating, pathetic wimp would excuse Obama and the Democrats for that. Whatever happened to ENDA (the Employment Non-discrimination Act)? Oh, Yeah, bravo!!… Great job you lying sacks of shit Democrats!
But no, the masochist lemmings and obots can’t get their collective tongues out of Obama’s ass long enough to realize old “Gawds in the mix” (at heterosexual only weddings) Obama is just using you like toilet paper — after it gets the job done for him, you just flush it.
By the way, a Democratic Supreme Court Justice cast the deciding vote (Justice White) to UPHOLD those detestable “sodomy” laws as constitutional in the late 1980s while a Republican appointed Justice Kennedy wrote the deciding opinion striking down “sodomy” laws nation-wide. Republican appointed federal judges have been shit-canning anti-gay laws from DOMA to Prop 8, as well as Republican appointed state Supreme Court judges. So fuck all of you morons who think that the only reason to vote for Obama is because of that. That’s weak. Do your research.
The latest Gallop Poll has Obama losing to Romney. Republicans respect their loony base, while Democrats piss on their progressive base — that is why Democrats lose. They never learn.
——————-
Also, poster STEVE retardedly wrote: “The entire reason DOMA has not been repealed is that the _Republicans_ in the Senate have blocked the repeal.”
… What are you, illiterate? Crack a newspaper once in while. That bill was never introduced and brought to the floor in the Senate. For those first two years when the Dems had huge majorities in both Houses, DOMA and even DADT weren’t even on the docket. Quit lying.
Robert in NYC
@Robert in NYC: Someone is using my name. This is NOT the real Robert in NYC, probably an anti-Obama pro Ron Paul looney. Qu@Steve: Steve, someone is using my name to make it appear that I wrote that rebuttal. Goes to show how inept Queerty is. I’ll use a different name from now on.
Ronbo
Celebrate as if the handcuffs have been loosened. We still have electoral leg irons and federal wooden stocks to overcome.
Obama has had the keys to undo the wooden stocks for three years – yet he continues to enforce DOMA – each and every day! Only fools cheer one tyrant over another. We need a President that supports us with ACTION – not just pretty “fierc” words (and continued enforcement of anti-gay immigration laws and DOMA).
“But my tyrant is more eloquent than yours! He MIGHT stop enforcing bigoted rules, if we just vote for him again. He can’t stop enforcing his own rules in only 4 years” Do those type comments sound as foolish to you as they do to me?
Ronbo
@Robert in NYC: Seriously dude! Do you REALLY think you are the only “Robert in NYC”? Swing a dead cat in NYC and if you don’t hit 5 Roberts, I’ll give you a handy. NYC doesn’t make you unique or cool; it makes you a clone. Be “Robert from Bumfuck” and reflect your real personality.
Ronbo
@tjr101: Is third-party more of a fantasy than your thought that “this time” Obama and the Dems are going to stop enforcing DOMA?
Didn’t your Momma explain that your defeatest attitude only gets you defeat?
tjr101
@Ronbo: DOMA is the law of the land, like it or not it has to be gotten rid of through Congress. The government (specifically the executive) is not defending it but would be breaking the law if it wasn’t enforced.
Did your Momma tell you who this dream third party candidate is that will win a general? That’s the thing with third party proponents such as yourself, you can’t name a SINGLE individual that will be a viable third party candidate for president. But you like the magical idea of it. As I said, its a fantasy.
It’s not being defeatist, it’s being real!
the crustybastard
@tjr101: “The only thing a third party candidate does is split the vote ie Ross Perot in 1992 and Ralph Nader in Florida 2000.”
A right-of-center voter casting his lot for Perot over Bush Sr. was sending a message to the RNC that the Bush economic policies were unsupportable. A left-of-center voter casting his lot for Nader over Gore was sending a message to the DNC that Gore’s conservative social policies and corporate toadying were unsupportable.
The ONLY reason third-party candidates “split the vote” is because the two major parties deliberately alienate core constituencies. Rather than throwing tantrums and crying “spoilers!” the appropriate response from the major parties is to find a way to accommodate these alienated voter’s interests. The Republicans need more sensible economic policies, and the Democrats need to be more socially progressive and less at the beck-and-call of corporate interests.
Duh.
Neither party is somehow “entitled” to anyone’s vote.
Moreover, nobody gives a shit whether you personally approve of how they voted. Really.
the crustybastard
@tjr101: “DOMA is the law of the land, like it or not it has to be gotten rid of through Congress.”
Like it or not, DOMA could also be gotten rid of by being held unconstitutional in court. That’s one of the important checks-and-balances functions of an independent judicial branch.
The government (specifically the executive) is not defending it but would be breaking the law if it wasn’t enforced.”
Bullshit. A law that violates the Constitution is BY DEFINITION unenforceable as it is void and utterly without force because no statute can supersede the Constitution. The POTUS’ oath of office commits to defend the Constitution; ergo, he cannot enforce an unconstitutional law without violating that oath. That’s one of the important checks-and-balances functions of an independent executive branch.
Alex
Abraham Lincoln was a third party candidate, and look at his legacy.
I vote Green every chance I get, and for other third parties if I agree with them. Democrats and Republicans are two sides of the same oppressive, regressive coin. Try to think bigger.
mike
way to go ……..cant wait to pennsylvania makes it legal………
Jack Jett
Teh Gov. can sign my Bill any day……YEAH Baaaby YEAH!
tjr101
@the crustybastard: DOMA has yet to be deemed unconstitutional until the repeal process is complete , ie the supreme court