Conservatives to rally against gay marriage bill in Maryland
January 30, 2012 at 5:13 AM by AHN · 2 Comments
Annapolis, MD, United States (AHN) – Conservatives and opponents of same-sex marriage were set to rally in Annapolis Monday evening, a week after Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley introduced a bill legalizing gay marriage in the state.
The gathering organized by the Maryland Marriage Alliance has the support of the archdiocese of Baltimore, which successfully worked with conservative groups last year to defeat a same-sex marriage bill in the state House.
The legislation introduced by O’Malley on Jan. 23 provides exemptions for religious institutions. A committee in the state Senate was scheduled to take up the measure the same day as the rally.
A similar bill passed the Senate last year by a 25-21 vote but failed in the state House after testimony from supporters and opponents, including officials from the Family Research Council.
Maryland currently recognizes same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions. It also enacted a law in 2008 granting gay couples hospital visitation rights and tax benefits such as transferring property deeds without having to pay fees. Conservatives have cited such rights in their opposition against same-marriage.
“Maryland has already granted many rights to domestic partnerships,” the Maryland Catholic Conference, which represents the archdiocese of Baltimore, the archdiocese of Washington, and the diocese of Wilmington, said in a statement last week. “There are many ways to protect basic human rights; sacrificing marriage is not one of them.”
Conservatives have sought to win the support of the black community, with the Catholic Conference using a survey showing that support for same-sex marriage among African-Americans has fallen 8 percent since October last year.
Cardinal-designate Edwin O’Brien also told the Catholic Review last week, “Our African-American community, I think, is very strong on this issue as we are…. to some degree, they’re a little concerned to call this a matter of discrimination.”
In addition, opponents of gay marriage have argued that all 31 states that have put the question on the ballot voted against legalizing same-sex marriage. But the governor on Sunday, speaking before a conference of gay advocates, insisted it was a question of social justice and individual rights.
“It is the dignity of a free and diverse people who at the end of the day, all want the same thing… For their children to be able to live in a loving and a caring and a stable home that is protected equally under the law,” O’Malley said. “Other states have already found a way to protect religious liberty, religious freedom and to protect rights equally. And it is time for Maryland to do the same.”
Same-sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York and the District of Columbia. The protest in Annapolis comes as gay advocates in Maine submitted signatures required to hold a referendum on the issue in November. In Washington state, legislation was narrowly approved by a Senate panel last week.
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Typical of religious conservatives: everyone has to do what they say, and their beliefs have to be imposed by law on everybody else. Still, better than the old days; modern secular governments do not permit their traditional responses to difference: torture and mass murder.
This is not a conservative/liberal or Republican/Democratic issue. Obviously Chris won’t be in attendance at the rally tonight. Since when has a moral wrong become a civil right? Those who feel that morality can be legislated are self-centered and living in LALA land. I for one am glad that I was raised by a Mom and a Dad. Last time I checked Mom’s were women and Dad’s were men, which I also beleive is still the only way any of us were or could be conceived. I personally don’t care what folks want to do with their personal lives (current MD law protects all that) but to legislate, force and or otherwise redefine the definition of marriage is ridiculous. Marriage is between a MAN and a WOMEN and that’s a fact as defined by a higher authortiy than that of our Governor Martin O’Malley or his name calling wife.