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Maryland Senate passes same-sex marriage bill

StillBallin75

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Maryland Senate passes same-sex marriage bill - The Washington Post

Maryland will join seven states and the District in allowing same-sex marriage, ending a year-long drama in Annapolis over the legislation and expanding nationwide momentum for gay rights.

The Senate passed the measure by a vote of 25 to 22 Thursday night, and Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) has vowed to sign it into law.

To win some of the final votes needed for passage in the House of Delegates last week, backers agreed to conditions that could help opponents place the new law on the November ballot. With polls showing the Maryland electorate almost evenly split on the issue, a referendum all but promises another contentious battle before the issue is settled in the state.

Ministers of several African American megachurches in Prince George’s County as well as conservative and Catholic groups have vowed to help repeal the measure.

hell yeah.
 
Woot woot!

It's only a matter of time before it's legal everywhere.
 
It's almost like another one every day.
 
Excellent! It's about time that the final vestige of legalized discrimination is being eliminated!
 
This is so great.

It would be wonderful if I actually could be wrong on this issue, and the people/legislature actually do decide this issue rather than the courts. I highly doubt the final decision, along with the last vestiges of discrimination against same sex couples won't come down to the SCOTUS, but I would definitely be very happy to stand corrected.
 
Maryland Senate passes same-sex marriage bill - The Washington Post

Ministers of several African American megachurches in Prince George’s County as well as conservative and Catholic groups have vowed to help repeal the measure.


hell yeah.

It is still you the people, right (I can't say we because I am not an American).

In the Netherlands gays have had the right to marry for 10 years, here the church has little or no say in it because in the Netherlands church/religious weddings and the actual wedding are 2 totally different things. You have to be married in city hall (by a civil servant) before you can (if you want because only the city hall wedding is actually a legal wedding ceremony) marry in church/temple/mosque.

And if people say civilisation is going to collapse etc. are wrong, we are still going strong as ever.
 
It is still you the people, right (I can't say we because I am not an American).

In the Netherlands gays have had the right to marry for 10 years, here the church has little or no say in it because in the Netherlands church/religious weddings and the actual wedding are 2 totally different things. You have to be married in city hall (by a civil servant) before you can (if you want because only the city hall wedding is actually a legal wedding ceremony) marry in church/temple/mosque.

And if people say civilisation is going to collapse etc. are wrong, we are still going strong as ever.

The problem here is that some people can't seem to grasp that just because the preacher who performs your wedding ceremony can legally sign your marriage license, as a matter of convenience so that we don't have to pay a lot of government employees to do it for every single couple, doesn't make the civil marriage license a religious thing.
 
The problem here is that some people can't seem to grasp that just because the preacher who performs your wedding ceremony can legally sign your marriage license, as a matter of convenience so that we don't have to pay a lot of government employees to do it for every single couple, doesn't make the civil marriage license a religious thing.

If I could like this post a trillion times I would!
 
Another victory for the rights of our Gay and Lesbian, brothers and sisters.

Inch by inch, state by state, country by country we must continue the fight until equal rights are granted.
 
Another victory for the rights of our Gay and Lesbian, brothers and sisters.

Inch by inch, state by state, country by country we must continue the fight until equal rights are granted.

Yep, it's even more impressive that my state did it through the legislature rather than a court ruling.
 
I'm happy that this happened, but the battle is far from over in Maryland. The deal the legislature reached involves putting the measure on the ballot in November for referendum.
 
I'm happy that this happened, but the battle is far from over in Maryland. The deal the legislature reached involves putting the measure on the ballot in November for referendum.

Voting on someone's civil rights just does not make sense to me.
 
inb4 conservatives start complainging about the 'destruction of Amerca's moral values.'
 
Voting on someone's civil rights just does not make sense to me.

I agree completely - however, on the other hand, if these decisions only come from court rulings, people will complain about it being undemocratic, it being an example of government tyranny, and lacking legitimacy.
 
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This should result in a nice bump in federal tax receipts.
 
I agree completely - however, on the other hand, if these decisions only come from court rulings, people will complain about it being undemocratic, it being an example of government tyranny, and lacking legitimacy.

I think my biggest issue with this isn't that it is voted on, although I don't like that part either. It is that they keep insisting that every one of these things be voted on by referendum instead of accepting the votes of their elected reps.

Interracial marriage was legalized in many states before Loving v. VA, and I am willing to bet that the majority of those states, if not all, did not legalize interracial marriage by voter referendum. It just feels like they are using the referendum thing to slow down the process because they know that the majority of people want to legalize SSM or at least give full marital rights to same sex couples. But they also know that the majority of people will not always vote in every election out there so its like they play the odds.

Not to mention at least one person on here has admitted that they purposely use specific wording when making referendums, especially against but I wouldn't doubt if they do so when it comes to a referendum for too, to sway or trick the more ignorant voters into believing that same sex marriage being legal would somehow violate other people's rights. That wouldn't really happen as much if it were left to the legislatures.
 
Proud of Maryland -- my home state. My wife's from VA and I always joke that she's from the wrong side of the tracks. Now we've got MD approving this civil rights law ... while VA is contemplating state-sponsored rape ... my case is getting stronger and stronger.
 
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