Last-minute checks keep same-sex marriage campaign alive

Marylanders for Marriage Equality, the main group supporting Question 6, raised about $5.2 million, according to the report. The outraised - and outspent - the opponents by more than 2 to 1. ...

Baltimore Sun • Nov 30, 2012

Md. voters evenly split on same-sex marriage

A month ago, the same-sex marriage question was ahead by 10 percentage points -- 49 percent to 39 percent -- in an earlier Sun poll. The contest is now a dead heat in part because some African-Americans who supported the measure or were undecided are now saying no. ...

Baltimore Sun • Oct 30, 2012

Maryland: Both sides of marriage camp spending rapidly

The Maryland Marriage Alliance reported raising $846,000 in the two week period -- roughly equal to what they took in during the first four months of the campaign. Nearly half of the funds -- $400,000 -- came from the National Organization for Marriage, a national group that opposes same-sex marriage iniatitives. Another chunk, $360,000, came from an transfer of funds within the orgnaziation, a ...

Baltimore Sun • Oct 29, 2012

Research shows gay and lesbian couples are good parents

Every major children's health and welfare organization, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Child Welfare League of America, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the National Association of Social Workers, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, confirms that gay parents make good parents. The American Medical Association,...

Baltimore Sun • Oct 26, 2012

Scare tactics from Question 6 opponents

What all three cases, and that of Ms. McCaskill, have in common is that they have nothing to do with the question of whether Maryland voters approve marriage equality. When Mr. Cathy's views were publicized, some people saw them as a reason to patronize his restaurants, some saw them as cause to boycott, and some didn't care. The reaction did not depend on whether the restaurants in question were ...

Baltimore Sun • Oct 18, 2012

Maryland: Former Gov. Ehrlich chief of staff supports gay marriage

Former Gov. Robert Ehrlich's chief of staff said this evening that he supports same-sex marriage, becoming one of the highest profile Republicans in the state to add his voice to the pro-gay marriage cause. ...

Baltimore Sun • Aug 30, 2012

Same-sex marriage supporters raise $250K at single event

Defenders of Maryland's new same-sex marriage law say they took in an eye-popping quarter of a million dollars last night at a Chevy Chase fundraiser. ...

Baltimore Sun • Jul 19, 2012

MD: Same-sex marriage opponents have twice the needed signatures

Activists working to repeal Maryland's same-sex marriage law scored a major victory this afternoon, submitting 113,000 signatures on behalf of a November referendum -- far exceeding the 55,736 required to put the issue on the ballot. ...

Baltimore Sun • May 29, 2012

Maryland court recognizes same-sex marriages for purpose of divorce

Same-sex couples married in the few states where such unions are legal can obtain divorces in Maryland, the state's highest court ruled Friday. ...

Baltimore Sun • May 18, 2012

Poll shows slim support for gay marriage in Maryland

A new poll commissioned by Marylanders for Marriage Equality shows 52 percent of respondents would "probably" or "definitely" vote for the same-sex marriage bill if it is on the ballot in November. The survey showed that 44 percent would "probably" or "definitely" vote the measure down. ...

Baltimore Sun • Mar 8, 2012

Outspoken first lady fights for those 'on the outside'

Now in her sixth year as Maryland's first lady, Katie O'Malley credits her upbringing -- watching her father grapple with some of the most difficult issues in the 1960s and 1970s -- for her dedication to another cause stirring outrage from many, including the family's Catholic church: legalizing same-sex marriage. ...

Baltimore Sun • Mar 5, 2012

Gay marriage law likely will be up to voters

State elections officials say they are already getting calls seeking information on how to start the process. Even the bill's staunchest supporters expect its opponents to easily gather the 55,736 signatures necessary to put the question on the November ballot. ...

Baltimore Sun • Feb 24, 2012

After soul searching, swing votes make difference for same-sex marriage

But this time the faith-driven opposition didn't carry the day. Instead, lawmakers say, they were swayed by the emotional stories of gay couples. Some delegates wanted to be assured that churches would never be forced by the state to preform same-sex marriages. Several were convinced that voters would get the final say. Their decisions pushed the vote count past the 71 needed to pass the measure. ...

Baltimore Sun • Feb 21, 2012

Maryland lawmakers under national pressure on marriage bill

By far the biggest boost came in the morning when Republican Del. Wade Kach, who was considered a sure-fire no vote, threw his support behind O'Malley's bill. Kach had voted against the bill two days earlier in committee. The Baltimore County delegate said he reached his decision after mulling the testimony he'd heard during a nearly 11-hour hearing on the bill last week and watching how same-sex...

Baltimore Sun • Feb 17, 2012

Al Sharpton supports same-sex marriage in Maryland

MSNBC commentator Rev. Al Sharpton cut a web video supporting same-sex marriage legislation in Maryland and hosted MD Gov. Martin O'Malley on his cable show this evening to talk about the issue. ...

Baltimore Sun • Feb 10, 2012

Religious leaders testify against O'Malley's same-sex marriage bill

Though several hundred people attended, the hearing had the feel of a dress rehearsal for the big show, a similar hearing in the House of Delegates. ...

Baltimore Sun • Feb 1, 2012

Gregoire proposes bill to legalize gay marriage

Supporters admit they don't yet have the votes in Olympia to pass a same-sex marriage bill. They will need at least a few Republicans to sign on, since some of the more conservative Democrats are still opposed to gay marriage. If the bill is approved by the Legislature, Washington would become the seventh state in the country to legalize gay marriage. The Legislature begins its 2012 session on M...

Baltimore Sun • Jan 5, 2012

The year ahead in Maryland politics

Building on the experience of lawmakers in New York, which legalized gay marriage a few months after the legislation failed here, advocates have developed a smart, coordinated campaign to win over a few more supporters. But their biggest coup was getting Gov. Martin O'Malley to agree to sponsor the legislation and make it a priority for this General Assembly session....

Baltimore Sun • Dec 30, 2011

Foes of same-sex marriage launch coalition

Religious opponents of a planned push to bring same-sex marriage to Maryland have launched a new coalition, bringing their organizing efforts into two Democratic strongholds that are expected to be a battleground for the votes of African-American legislators. The Maryland Marriage Alliance, described as a multi-racial and bipartisan coalition of supporters of the traditional definition of marriag...

Baltimore Sun • Nov 30, 2011

Ravens linebacker pushes for same-sex marriage

Ravens player Brendon Ayanbadejo is putting his considerable heft behind passing a gay marriage bill in Maryland and will star in a new video that will be released today pushing for the measure. In the video Ayanbadejo looks directly into the camera and says: "I believe we should be doing everything that we can to make Maryland families stronger which is why I support marriage for gay and lesbian...

Baltimore Sun • Oct 21, 2011

Md. gay marriage: Justice delayed

The issue is not dead; if vote tallies change, the bill could theoretically be brought back to the floor, though House Speaker Michael E. Busch indicated he doesn't expect that to happen. But advocates should also bear in mind that although this year appeared from the beginning like a magical opportunity, it is not the only one. Nothing will change between now and 2012 other than the steady growth...

Baltimore Sun • Mar 20, 2011

Holdout apparently will support gay marriage

The Baltimore Democrat said she was withholding support to call attention to other issues -- education funding, joint custody of children in divorces -- that she says she views as "more important, or at least equally important." It's unclear whether the House Judiciary Committee will try again today to take a vote on the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act. The plan needs 12 commi...

Baltimore Sun • Mar 2, 2011

Maryland: Same-sex marriage bill passes first hurdle in Senate

Maryland's Senate voted 25-22 in favor of allowing same-sex couples to marry after a fairly short and focused debate. The bill has not yet cleared the body, but the vote is a positive sign for supporters of the legislation. It could go to final passage as early as Thursday....

Baltimore Sun • Feb 23, 2011

Maryland: What's next for gay marriage

If a bill does get to Gov. Martin O'Malley, he has pledged to sign it. But the story isn't over there. Citizens have the right to petition any act of the General Assembly to referendum, although it happens rarely on statewide issues. A petition would need 55,736 signatures to get on the ballot -- difficult, certainly, but on an issue like this, hardly insurmountable. For context, the petition that...

Baltimore Sun • Feb 19, 2011

Gay marriage has the votes to clear Md. Senate

Sen. James Rosapepe just issued an email to constituents saying that he will support the same-sex marriage bill. That means 24 senators have publicly committed to vote for the bill -- enough for passage....

Baltimore Sun • Feb 18, 2011

Md. should be a leader on gay marriage

So far, five American states have legalized gay marriage: four New England states - Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont - plus (more surprisingly) Iowa, heart of heartland America. Why isn't Maryland, one of the nation's more progressive states, a member of this small but growing club? The proximate reason is that the state judiciary has yet to rule in favor of gay marriage. In Septemb...

Baltimore Sun • Aug 25, 2009

MD: Rethinking marriage

Maryland, where the law requires marriage to be between a man and a woman and where attempts to overturn that requirement have been bottled up in legislative committees, could yet join the national trend. But it will require Gov. Martin O'Malley to demonstrate more than the casual interest he has shown in legalizing civil unions, let alone gay marriage, in the past. What Mr. O'Malley must do is t...

Baltimore Sun • May 10, 2009

Md. Senate backs tax break for same-sex partners

The Maryland Senate has endorsed exempting gay domestic partners who co-own homes from state inheritance taxes. The Senate voted 28-19 Tuesday to approve a bill that would add same-sex domestic partners to the list of family members who can inherit homes without paying taxes on that property. The exemption would only apply to the couple's primary residence and the property must be jointly owned t...

Baltimore Sun • Apr 7, 2009

Gilchrest offers support in Annapolis for gay marriage

Gilchrest came out of political retirement to share a personal view of the issue -- his brother David is gay and married to his longtime partner in Massachusetts. Gilchrest, who opposed changing the U.S. Constitution to ban gay marriage, argued that the unions should be allowed as a matter of "social justice, civil rights and a more viable democracy." Britt, who met his wife while on a freedom ri...

Baltimore Sun • Mar 13, 2009