After a homosexual 'marriage' bill sailed through the Maryland Senate, and was hailed by the state's governor, Democrats in control of the Maryland House of Delegates quietly dismissed the bill, as the support was weak.
For background read, Same-sex 'Marriage' in Maryland Legislature
UPDATE 3/17/11: How Christian grassroots defeated 'marriage' bill
UPDATE 3/14/11: Homosexualists lick their wounds in defeat
UPDATE 11/7/12: Maryland Votes for Same-sex Marriage
-- From "Md. gay marriage bill likely dead, sent to panel" by The Associated Press 3/11/11
Advocates believed they did not have the 71 votes [in the House] needed to pass the bill in a final vote Friday, and it was sent back to committee. The procedure will allow them to continue with the legislation next year.
Supporters Delegate Anne Kaiser, D-Montgomery, and Morgan Meneses-Sheets, executive director of Equality-Maryland, said they don't expect another vote on the bill this year.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Maryland gay marriage bill dies in House of Delegates with no final vote" by Tom LoBianco, The Associated Press 3/11/11
Although Democrats have solid control over both chambers of the General Assembly and the governor's office, extending full marriage rights to same sex couples did not appear possible before this year.
While Democrats hold an overwhelming 98 seats in the 141-seat House of Delegates, the pickup of six seats by Republicans in the last election helped erode support, said House Environmental Matters Chairwoman Maggie McIntosh, one of the chamber's seven openly gay members.
"I would have hoped that we could have resolved this issue and then let the people decide," said Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, after the House killed the measure . "I think an issue like this was bound to go before the people in a referendum, and I would have hoped that we would have been able to have accomplished that today."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Short Votes, Maryland Democrats Withdraw Same-Sex Marriage Bill" by Sabrina Tavernise, New York Times 3/11/11
The speaker of Maryland’s house, Michael E. Busch, said . . . “We’ll come back next year and take a strong look at it.”
For weeks, the bill’s passage was thought to be assured. Maryland’s House is overwhelmingly Democrat — 98 out of 141 members, more than enough to pass the bill over Republican opposition. But the closer it got to a final vote, the bumpier its path became, with a number of Democrats from districts with strong religious constituencies saying they would vote against it.
Ultimately, about a third of the Democrats in the House opposed it.
Luke Clippinger, one of the House’s seven openly gay members, whose voice had cracked while giving a personal speech during the debate, said he felt “tired by not broken” by the turn of events.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 3/11/11: "Maryland gay marriage proposal shelved" by Reuters 3/11/11
. . . In a spirited debate, many African American delegates said they felt pressured to act according to the wishes of their constituency, including black churches opposed to using the word "marriage" to describe same-sex relationships.
"It turns a moral wrong into a civil right," said Democratic delegate Emmett Burns, Jr..
"I don't think there has ever been an issue, in the 37 years I have been down here, that has brought more attention, that has had more input from your citizens and from your church," said [Joseph Vallario, chairman of the Judiciary Committee].
Seven openly homosexual delegates personally appealed to their colleagues to pass the bill.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Bishops Fight Maryland's Same-sex 'Marriage' Bill
