Maryland Gay Marriage Bill Approved By Senate Committee

By Alice Popovici

ANNAPOLIS, Maryland--A Maryland Senate committee approved a gay marriage bill on Tuesday, sending the issue to the full Senate and moving Maryland closer to becoming the eighth state to legalize same-sex nuptials.

The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee voted 7 to 4 in favor of the bill - supported by Gov. Martin O'Malley - and the full Senate was expected to vote later in the week. The bill was approved last week by the lower house.

"I believe the 25 votes that we had last year will hold," said Senator Jamie Raskin, referring to last year's gay marriage bill which passed the Senate but died in the House.

There may be even be a few more favorable Senate votes this year, said Raskin, a Democrat from Montgomery County.

"Public opinion is changing quickly," he said.

While still controversial, same-sex marriage has been gaining acceptance nationally in recent weeks, with Washington state signing it into law and the New Jersey legislature passing it through both houses, only to have it vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie.

An appeals court has overturned California's ban on gay marriage, enacted through a 2008 ballot initiative.

Washington opponents are attempting ballot initiatives to repeal or block the law, which otherwise would come into effect in June. Same-sex couples can marry in the District of Columbia and six other states: Massachusetts, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut and New York.

Before the committee vote in Maryland, senators debated its religious liberty protections. Under those, a religious group or a nonprofit organization sponsored by a religious group is not required to provide services that violate their religious beliefs unless they receive federal funding, said Raskin, a bill supporter.

For example, the liberty provision would allow the Knights of Columbus to refuse to rent out their meeting hall for a same-sex wedding, and would not require a church counseling service to counsel same-sex couples.

Raskin said the bill provides "legitimate accommodation of religious liberty," adding "I cannot foresee any situation in which these religious liberty protections are struck down."

(Editing By Barbara Goldberg and Daniel Trotta)

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.

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Comments

[Alexander Forbes]

07:44 PM on 02/23/2012

It's always a great treat to see certain kinds of right-wingers queue up on the public forums to hang themselves. Having always claimed personal monopolies on that great battle to defend our individual freedom, equality and liberty, they declare to the world that if this should mean gays and lesbians get to be included, well then, they'll OPPOSE individual freedom, equality and liberty.

[Angel1999]

07:57 PM on 02/23/2012

I find I actually appreciate the craziest ones posting their absurdities. They're so extreme that they nicely demonstrate that the hatred against gays is real. They do more to help our cause than anything. Being a perpetual optimist in this regard, I still believe that the average American is actually interested in fairness. When they see the absolute vileness posted by some of these people, I can't help but believe that it drives them to our side.

[TeraWatt60]

03:28 PM on 02/23/2012

Religion is again being abused as an excuse for b.igotry...The US should simply make all "church marriages" non-binding legally and "optional" and secular marriage the only binding one and be done with it. The religiosity crowd will get all bent by this but that is how it is done in most areas of the world.

[BooBoo Bob]

04:55 PM on 02/23/2012

Actually, that's the way it is, anyway. Priests and pastors need to be legally ordained to perform marriages. The paperwork is still there.

[TBJ]

03:49 PM on 02/23/2012

I thought this was a parody list until I saw who posted it. Unless you've been a parody all along.

Prove that even a single thing you just posted is true.

[Angel1999]

04:46 PM on 02/23/2012

Ten Reasons why Susan is delusional: (1)Homosexuality is natural because it occurs in nature. (2)Gay marriage can't encourage people to be gay because sexual orientation is innate. (3)Legalizing gay marriage is legal in numerous places in this country and around the world and there is no indication of any crazy behavior that wasn't already there. (4)Heterosexual marriage has been around a long time but has changed constantly throughout that time (remember those polygamous patriarchs of the Bible? Funny that you don't remember those). (5)Straight marriages that are made less meaningful by other peoples marriages are weak marriages to begin with. The meaningfullness of a marriage is totally dependent on the people involved in that marriage. Don't try to blame gays for the inherent weakness of your own marriage, Susan. (6)Not all heterosexual marriages produce children. I guess infertile couples should be forced to get a divorce. Perhaps post-menopausal women should be banned from all marriages, and should be forced to divorce after the change. (7)The vast majority of all gay children were raised by straight parents. (8)Gay marriage IS supported by religion, just not your religion. You shouldn't presume to speak for Christians when you only belong to a small repressive sect of Christians. (9)Children succeed without male and female role models all the time. (10)The foundation of society is unimaginably weak if all it takes is gay marriage to undermine it. However you will find that Massachusetts is really no different today than it was 10 years ago.

[pakaal]

01:56 PM on 02/23/2012

"a religious group or a nonprofit organization sponsored by a religious group is not required to provide services that violate their religious beliefs unless they receive federal funding"

Not bad. I like the idea of de-coupling federal funding from religious groups who cannot accept the accompanying civil responsibilities. If they feel they cannot accept equal standing for same-sex couples, they really should be disqualified from receiving our tax monies.

[BooBoo Bob]

02:13 PM on 02/23/2012

They should have to kick a little back to the government, too. ;0-)

[Angel1999]

07:58 PM on 02/23/2012

Please post more nastiness. You make our case for us as you prove beyond any doubt the sort of hate that's out there.

[BooBoo Bob]

08:38 PM on 02/23/2012

Actually, Susan? Most pedophiles identify as heterosexual.

Also? Flag.

[jman7]

03:41 AM on 02/23/2012

I personally do not get laws that need to regulate such a smalll minority of people. There are enough laws on the books let us repeal all the anti-gay laws allow civil unions (or the title of marriage) onyl at places like city or town halls

[TBJ]

08:34 AM on 02/23/2012

Or, we could have the same institutions, because they do the same thing, and call them both civil marriages. Like we already do.

[YouAreJokingRight]

12:01 PM on 02/23/2012

We can't do that because uhm, because, because . . .

RED HERRING.

[aviandonn]

01:33 PM on 02/23/2012

Well, the problem is that the term 'marriage' is used in thousands of pieces of legislation, thousands of court rulings, thousands of pension plan booklets, thousands of eligibility requirements for a thousand different things, thousand of legal briefs.... the list goes on. Everyone understands the word marriage. They know what it means. If we got rid of it, I suppose we could create thousands of jobs for people to scribble "now referred to as civil unions" on the margins of a million published documents. But I suggest we stick with marriage. Let the church do Holy Matrimony and spend their own money fixing any church documents that need fixed..

[campcranston]

09:28 AM on 02/23/2012

We're already regulated, by the United States Constitution. It's just our legislators want to forget about that.

[Angel1999]

06:16 AM on 02/23/2012

Many heterosexuals are rapists and pedophiles. We should ban them from getting married.

Red heads are only 2% of the population. We should ban them from getting married, as well, since any red-head marriage is illegitimacy even if it's legal.

So tell me...exactly how high must your percentage in the population be before you're eligible for the rights enumerated in the Constitution?

[TBJ]

08:35 AM on 02/23/2012

Flagged, and profile reported.

[Kindheart101]

05:57 PM on 02/22/2012

Many thought blacks would always be held in slavery. Wrong
Many thought women would never vote. Wrong
Many thought black and white would never be able to marry. Wrong

Just as all of these have come to pass, so shall same sex marriage. You are only so upset because you see the writing on the wall..................8 states down and well on the way to victory!

[Jay Skins]

05:33 PM on 02/22/2012

I have yet to see an argument against gay marriage that isn't rooted in religion, stupidity or a mixture of both.

[Jay Skins]

05:17 PM on 02/22/2012

Congrats to Maryland! Slowly but surely....

[aviandonn]

04:32 PM on 02/22/2012

Whoever is moderating this thread needs to back off. Get your finger off the ban button. You are illegitimately banning posts that do not violate the rules, that contain no obscenities, no threats, no name-calling. People are entitled to express an opinion even if it's not politically correct.

Artyman and I are trying to have a legitimate discussion. Stop deleting and banning our posts.

[Intelligenti Pauca]

12:09 AM on 02/23/2012

Here's the problem, with the AOL merger the volume of posts increased quite a bit. Now, the bulk of moderation is done by a computer. Human mods are more of a backup, dealing with posts the computer kicks out based on whatever criteria it's been programmed with.

I'm thinking that the computer's list of actionable words/phrases has been set to err on the side of caution & some posts that should be getting posted are accidentally getting scrubbed.

[YouAreJokingRight]

12:04 PM on 02/23/2012

I think it's a combination of that and people who flag things that they disagree with, even though the posts themselves aren't violating the TOS.

[Intelligenti Pauca]

12:14 PM on 02/23/2012

I see your reply didn't get posted as well.

After having some of my posts scrubbed as well, I believe that it's due to the word "poIygamy" being one of the words that is getting posts deleted.

[OGigi]

12:16 PM on 02/23/2012

if using that word in posts gets the post deleted then it smells of censorship not moderation

[iskra]

04:11 PM on 02/22/2012

Marriage is a legal construct that has nothing to do with your church. In fact, your church marriage has no legal standing. 

The church did not get involved in marriage until around the 14th century. 

"Traditional" marriage is selling off an 12 year old bride to some older guy in return for land or cows. Sometimes I think that's what the church wants to take us back to, and I don't mean just the Mormons. 

But today in our modern world marriage requires no church and is a legal pact. If your church doesn't want to marry loving people because of their gender, fine, don't. Just keep your church out of our society of laws, thanks.

[Rex Hungus]

03:20 PM on 02/22/2012

This made my day!

[Pickwick4688]

12:50 PM on 02/22/2012

There is a woman in Maryland who deeply loves her mule and wants to marry it. Wonder when the senate will approve that?

[werewolf90210]

12:55 PM on 02/22/2012

As soon as you grow a brain stem.

[StevenKeirstead]

02:01 PM on 02/22/2012

My husband and I disagree. We have been together since 1991, married since 2007 and living lives, not lifestyles, in Boston for the whole time. We are quite happy being gay thank you.

[TXanimal]

02:12 PM on 02/22/2012

It's not "play-acting", but making the same deep, loving commitment you made to YOUR spouse, for all the same reasons. Why is that so difficult for you to grasp?

[Intelligenti Pauca]

11:00 AM on 02/22/2012

"Many people, especially ignorant people, want to punish you for speaking the truth, for being correct, for being you. Never apologize for being correct, or for being years ahead of your time. If you're right and you know it, speak your mind. Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is still the truth." Gandhi

[albert 18499]

06:35 PM on 02/22/2012

Dang, right on! F&Fed

[chelosomellow]

10:35 AM on 02/22/2012

it figures that huffpost would put up a story like this,governors of all states should follow chris christies ways.

[Intelligenti Pauca]

10:53 AM on 02/22/2012

Sure they should, if they want to ensure that it's their last term in office.

"All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will, to be rightful, must be reasonable­­­­; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal laws must protect, and to violate which would be oppression­­­­." - Thomas Jefferson

[albert 18499]

06:40 PM on 02/22/2012

Can I build on your quote? It's from James Madison to Jefferson.

Wherever the real power in a Government lies, there is the danger of oppression. In our Governments, the real power lies in the majority of the Community, and the invasion of private rights is chiefly to be apprehended, not from the acts of Government contrary to the sense of its constituents, but from acts in which the Government is the mere instrument of the major number of the constituents. (James Madison to Thomas Jefferson, October 17, 1788; from Michael Kammen, The Origins of the American Constitution: A Documentary History, 1986, pp. 369-370. )

[iskra]

04:12 PM on 02/22/2012

And they too will fade into history as dinosaurs who put prejudice above rights.