Tom Fedor/The Gazette
Supporters of a movement to alter Maryland's definition of marriage gather to rally support for the Civil Marriage Protection Act on Sunday at the Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ in Frederick. The rally, organized by area religious groups, drew several local lawmakers, including state Sen. Ron Young (D-Dist. 3) of Frederick, Del. Galen Clagett (D-Dist. 3A) of Frederick and Attorney General Doug Gansler. Jim Weitz, left, and Glenn Wallace, partners for 15 years and members of ERUCC, share their story and feelings about mariage equality.
The 2012 legislative session could be do-or-die for a bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry in Maryland, according to one Frederick County legislator.
Whether the bill passes will likely come down to the House of Delegates, said Sen. Ron Young (D-Dist. 3). A similar bill fizzled in the House last year after passing the Senate.
“I know the votes are there in the Senate,” Young said, of this year’s expectation.
Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) is the lead sponsor of the gay marriage bill.
Young said he views the marriage issue as a matter of equal rights, but said he’d like to see the civil and religious aspects of marriage separated for all couples.
He appeared with other elected officials and church groups at an event in Frederick on Sunday in support of marriage equality that drew more than 200 people.
The Frederick event, organized by religious groups, was one of several statewide planned in response to a proposed bill in the General Assembly that would allow same-sex partners to marry.
It included members of All Saints Episcopal Church, Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ, Grace United Church of Christ, Congregation Kol Ami and Unity in Frederick.
The proposed legislation would allow marriages between anyone who isn't otherwise prohibited from marrying. Currently, only marriages between a man and a woman are valid in Maryland.
Maryland law also prevents marriages between people related through blood or certain other relationships, such as stepparents — a provision that would not change in the proposed bill.
The event's organizers wanted to show that the faith community is not universally opposed to allowing same-sex couples to marry, said Mary Ellen Rhoderick, who helped organize Sunday’s event. The coalition formed after a similar proposal failed in the General Assembly during last year’s legislative session.
“We see it as a justice issue,” Rhoderick said.
Opponents of the bill held a rally Monday in Annapolis.
Derek McCoy, director of the Maryland Marriage Alliance, said the event went well, drawing a diverse crowd that made a strong statement for a traditional meaning of marriage.
McCoy estimated the crowd at the Annapolis event at between 1,500 and 2,000 people.
The people who attended reject Gov. Martin O'Malley's (D) attempt to redefine marriage in the state, McCoy said.
They want to make sure that elected officials understand that broad groups of Maryland residents are very concerned about the possibility of marriage being redefined, he said.
McCoy said he believes a defeat this year will mean setting the issue aside until at least after the 2014 election.
Young said he believes the issue may lose its legislative inertia if the bill isn’t passed this year.
“I think it either passes the House this year, in which case it will pass, or I doubt if it gets brought back up again for some time,” he said.
rmarshall@gazette.net
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