Equality Maryland

It's been a busy week for Ravens players speaking out in support of their respective causes. Linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo backed same-sex marriage for Equality Maryland last Tuesday. Wide receiver Derrick Mason said today that " marriage is between a man and a woman . " And on Sunday at the Maryland March for Life in Annapolis, center Matt Birk was a featured speaker at the pro-life event. Birk, a six-time Pro Bowler, told The Catholic Review that faith (he's Catholic)

It isn't what the owner of Chick-fil-A says that makes me never want to eat at his fast food restaurants ("Crowds flock to Chick-fil-A to back owner on marriage," Aug. 2). As far as I'm concerned, he can spout off hate speech at gays, Jews, African-Americans, or anyone else he wants. That's his business to be as rude or as ignorant as he wants, and the appropriate response is just to not listen to his nonsense. This is still America, after all. What I do not condone, however, is that Dan Cathy will take my money that I would spend on his "food" and donate some of it to hate groups who are intent on denying gay people their equal rights as Americans.

Marriage equity for gays, lesbians to be PFLAG topic The Howard County chapter of PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) will hold a town hall meeting to discuss marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Owen Brown Interfaith Center, 7246 Cradlerock Way, Columbia. Jean Moon will be the moderator for a panel discussion that will include Rabbi Sonya Starr, the Rev. Paige Getty, County Councilman Guy Guzzone, Dan Furmansky of Equality Maryland, a lesbian couple and a gay couple.

Waving signs emblazoned with slogans including "How does my marriage threaten yours?" hundreds of gay rights supporters came to Annapolis last night to urge lawmakers against pushing legislation to ban gay marriage in the state's constitution. Rally organizer Dan Furmansky, executive director of Equality Maryland, said a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage would codify discrimination. "It says we are not part of the provisions of the constitution; it says we are not citizens of the state of Maryland," he said to a cheering crowd enduring subfreezing temperatures in front of the State House.

I am writing in response to Thursday's editorial "A matter of equal rights" (Dec. 17). Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered couples and allies in Maryland are celebrating the historic passage of the marriage equality bill in Washington, D.C. This is proof that despite any recent setbacks, there is a strong momentum behind the efforts to advance equal marriage protections for all couples. Many same-sex couples in Maryland want the right to legally marry because they want to honor their relationship in the greatest way our society has to offer, by making a public commitment to stand together in good times and bad, through all the joys and challenges family life brings.

I am writing in reference to a story that appeared in the May 27, 2010 issue of the Washington Blade regarding Gov. Martin O'Malley's recent appearance at an event sponsored by the Gill Action Fund, a group of wealthy LGBT political activists (http://tinyurl.com/25ve6xu). Both the Gill Action Fund and Governor O'Malley have lost credibility in my view. Despite this, I still plan to volunteer and vote for Mr. O'Malley. He's a lot better than the alternative, and while he has consistently stated he is opposed to same-sex marriage, he has also pledged he would sign a marriage equality bill if it made it to his desk.

There's a nasty pink political flier floating around Maryland's 1st Congressional District, and don't blame prepster-candidate Robert Banks. The gist of the piece - purportedly paid for by Progressive Marylanders for Social Justice - is that incumbent Wayne Gilchrest has been a friend to gays. "That took courage, conviction and ... family Loyalty," the flier says. "Wayne's Brother David married his 16-year partner at a service on the beach in Massachusetts." For the record, Gilchrest does have a gay brother who married his partner in Massachusetts.

After Maryland's highest court upheld the state's ban on same-sex marriage last September, advocates for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community changed their focus to lobbying the General Assembly. They proposed the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, which would change the state law specifying that marriage must be between a man and a woman. These advocates have their work cut out for them. Last week, a Sun poll showed that only 19 percent of likely Maryland voters support same-sex marriage, compared to 39 percent who favor civil unions instead and 31 percent who oppose any legalization of same-sex unions.

In yet another attempt to kill legislation to give unmarried couples medical decision-making rights, Del. Donald H. Dwyer Jr. took the unusual preliminary step yesterday of trying to repeal the measure through a voter referendum. Dwyer, an Anne Arundel County Republican, said he filed petition requests with the Maryland State Board of Elections and attorney general's office. "I'm prepared to fight this every step of the way," said Dwyer of the bill, which would be effective July 1. Under Maryland election law, Dwyer would need to collect 51,195 signatures by June 30 of this year to get the question on the 2006 ballot, said Donna Duncan, director of the election management division of the Board of Elections.