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We hear the Balitmore Aquarium is a great spot for a wedding, and we look forward to it being a gay wedding as we add one more state to the list in our battles won for nationwide marriage-equality. Today Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed the bill that will give gay and lesbian couples the right to marry in the state. The new law will take effect January 2013. So what happens now?
While we love optimism as much as the next queen, the reality is opponents are already frying up their bigoted burners in hopes of cooking up a few unsavory referendums on the November ballot. Did we expect them to accept defeat quietly?
According to USA Today, opponents need to collect almost 56,000 signatures to put the measure before voters, and where are they expected to turn? The church. Even before the bill was signed, church leaders have been preparing their congregations to take action, urging them to sign up for alerts and petitions for the November election. Here we thought the church was a place of worship and community, not a political rally. Silly us.
The Human Rights Campaign, who played a large part in passing the bill, is prepared for the challenge.
“There remains a lot of work to do between now and an expected November referendum to make marriage equality a reality in Maryland,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “Along with coalition partners, we look forward to educating and engaging voters about what this bill does: It strengthens all Maryland families and protects religious liberty.”
Currently six states as well as the District of Columbia recognize same-sex marriage, and with recent decisions it looks like Washington and Maryland will soon be joining the group.
We can't wait to be invited to our first Maryland same-sex wedding. So wait, crabs are actually a good thing at a wedding in this state?
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