Marylanders seek vote on Marriage Amendment in face of all out assault
Laura Smitherman reports in the Baltimore Sun (2.8.2008):
Opponents of gay marriage vowed yesterday to bring the fractious debate over same-sex unions to a vote in the Maryland General Assembly and possibly to voters on the November ballot.
Del. Donald H. Dwyer Jr. is circulating a petition to take a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage directly to the floor of the House of Delegates without a committee vote. He also is seeking signatures to bring to the House floor a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage. While the Anne Arundel Republican is a fervent gay-rights opponent, he said Marylanders deserve to know their legislators’ views.
365gay.com carries this headline: Gay Marriage Foes Attempt To Force Amendment Vote (2.8.2008) and reports:
Attempts by Dwyer to move forward a constitutional amendment has failed in committee at each try over the past three years.
The Republican lawmaker told reporters if any of the three pro-gay bill passes he will push to have the legislation referred to voters in November. To do that he would need to gather petitions from about 53,000 voters.
Equality Maryland told the Baltimore Sun that it is prepared for either issue getting on the ballot. With a huge Democratic turnout expected in November the organization believes any attempt to pass a constitutional amendment would be quashed and based on public opinion surveys believes voters would endorse moves to give rights to same-sex couples.
Meanwhile, Joshua Lynsen reports in the Washington Blade, Md. sees flurry of marriage proposals: Activists prepare to lobby lawmakers next week (2.8.2008). This reports summarizes several bills recently pushed or pending in the legislature by homosexual proponents seeking marriage or marriage like status.
Citizen links reports that there is an all out assault on marriage with more than a dozen bills pending in the legislature: Marriage Under Attack in Maryland (2.8.2008).