Same Sex Marriage

With the national spotlight shining on the Super Bowl-bound Ravens this week, linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo is apparently hoping to divert some attention off the gridiron. According to New York Times columnist Frank Bruni , just hours after Baltimore's AFC championship win, Ayanbadejo directed an e-mail to marriage equality advocates asking how he could utilize the increased Super Bowl media to help support same-sex marriage. Writing at 3:40 a.m. on Monday morning, according to Bruni, Ayanbadejo asked gay rights advocate Brian Ellner and Michael Skolnik, political director to Russell Simmons, whether there was “anything I can do for marriage equality or anti-bullying over the next couple of weeks to harness this Super Bowl media.” Later dubbing the note his "Jerry Maguire email," a reference to the late-night mission statement penned by Tom Cruise's character in the eponymous 1996 sports flick, Ayanbadejo told Bruni: "I got to thinking about all kinds of things, and I thought: how can we get our message out there?"

A handful of Westboro Baptist Church protesters picketing same-sex marriage in front of courthouses in Annapolis and Towson Wednesday were met with large groups of counter-protesters holding signs preaching tolerance. In the state capital, more than 250 people gathered in the early morning, singing carols, to counter four members of the ultra-conservative Westboro Baptist, which is based in Kansas. St. Anne's Episcopal Church, across the street from the Annapolis courthouse, organized the counter-protest there.

As of New Year's Day, arsenic is officially off the menu for Maryland chickens. The nation's first statewide ban on the use of additives in chicken feed containing the toxic metal is among a dozen new state laws that take effect Jan. 1. The new civil marriage measure that was affirmed by Maryland voters in November, allowing same-sex couples to take their vows, has grabbed the most headlines, but less-publicized laws will take effect as well....

An Annapolis company whose old-fashioned trolleys are iconic in the city's wedding scene has abandoned the nuptial industry rather than serve same-sex couples. The owner of Discover Annapolis Tours said he decided to walk away from $50,000 in annual revenue instead of compromising his Christian convictions when same-sex marriages become legal in Maryland in less than a week. And he has urged prospective clients to lobby state lawmakers for a religious exemption for wedding vendors.

Current and retired federal employees who have been on the offense against the Defense of Marriage Act can't taste victory yet, but its scent is growing stronger now that the Supreme Court has decided to review the law. Federal workers and retirees have been on the vanguard against DOMA. Yet, though the court did not choose one of their cases, the one picked this month certainly will have implications for the federal workforce. DOMA defines marriage for federal purposes as a union between a man and a woman.

If any bureaucratic hurdles remain to implementing same-sex marriage, Gov. Martin O'Malley wants them identified and resolved quickly. The governor sent a directive to his cabinet Thursday requesting all state agencies "work expeditiously" to give equal marriage rights to same-sex couples in Maryland.  "Many areas of Maryland law address marital status - including insurance, taxes, governmental benefits, and property - and many State...

Tomorrow, gay couples across Maryland can take the first step toward equal recognition of their relationships when county clerks of courts for the first time will be allowed to issue licenses for same-sex marriages. And we may get a hint of just how equal those marriages will be on Friday, when the Supreme Court is due again to debate which, if any, of several key lawsuits about the status of same-sex marriages under federal and constitutional law it will take up during this term. One of the compromises proponents of same-sex marriage struck in order to get enough votes in the House of Delegates was a provision that prevented the new law from taking effect before midnight Dec. 31. But that left some unanswered questions.

A broad coalition of donors — including casino giant MGM, Delta Airlines, a Washington nightclub and thousands of individuals across the country — together gave nearly $6 million to the campaign to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland, providing a financial advantage that supporters say was critical to the effort's success. Marylanders for Marriage Equality, the main group working for approval of Question 6 on this month's ballot, raised $5.9 million — more than twice as much as opponents of the measure, according to campaign finance reports filed this week.

Hefty checks from Baltimore super-lawyer Peter Angelos and casino giant MGM Entertainment helped fund the critical final days of Maryland's campaign to legalize same-sex marriage, a new report filed with the state board of elections showed. The ballot measure -- Question 6 -- passed in Maryland by four percentage points. The first Maryland marriage certificates to gay and lesbian couples will be issued in early January. Marylanders for Marriage Equality, the main group supporting Question 6, raised about $5.2 million, according to the report.

Last week, Maryland made history by delivering an unprecedented victory for marriage equality at the ballot box. The Human Rights Campaign and the NAACP were proud partners in this campaign, working together to build support for Question 6 across Maryland. Though success in this state was matched by others in Maine, Minnesota and Washington, the victory of the Vote for Question 6 campaign in particular provides an important blueprint for the future, especially as marriage equality inevitably moves forward in other states with significant African-American populations.