OPPOSE House Bill 728/Senate Bill 746
So-Called "Defense of Marriage" Act
HB 728/SB 746 would declare that "marriages between individuals of
the same sex are against the public policy of this state" and prohibit
Maryland from recognizing marriages between two individuals of the same-sex
performed in other states.
- This legislation is redundant. A section of Maryland Family Code already
states "only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid in this
State." Furthermore, under the Federal Defense of Marriage Act,
passed in 1996, no state can be forced to recognize a marriage between
same-sex couples performed in another state.
- This legislation is an assault on a segment of Marylanders simply
because of their sexual orientation. It is a blatant attempt by legislators
frightened of social change to cast aspersions against a group of tax-paying
citizens -- simply because other states are now grappling with how they
will recognize families headed by same-sex couples in their own jurisdictions.
- Gay and lesbian Marylanders are your neighbors. They pay taxes and
make valuable contributions - serving as firefighters, police officers,
in the military, as emergency room doctors - and work just as hard as
every citizen in this state. Denying them the right to marry takes legal
rights away from them and their children - including the right to visit
a loved one in the hospital, to Social Security survivor benefits, to
take time to care for a sick family member without worrying about losing
their job, to inherit a partner's property, to sponsor a spouse for
immigration purposes, continued health insurance upon the loss of a
job, legal protections for children, and more than 1,000 other legal
protections, benefits rights, and obligations.
- Legislators in Maryland should be looking at ways to remove the cloak
of discrimination against same-sex couples -- just as California, Vermont,
Hawaii, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Massachusetts have done -- not
contemplating ways to further codify the discrimination that exists
in Maryland's Family Law Code.
- Marriage is not a word - it is a license offered by the State that
provides benefits, rights, and protections upon families. Churches and
other religious institutions will never be required to perform ceremonies
with which they disagree, even if Maryland took the bold step of offering
a government-issued contract to same-sex couples.
- Marriage equality for same-sex couples IS a civil rights issue, and
a simple matter of equal protection and equal rights under the law.
OPPOSE House Bill 16/Senate Bill 673
So-Called "Defense of Marriage" Constitutional Amendment
HB 16/SB 673 would amend the Maryland Constitution to say "only a
marriage between a man and a woman is valid in this State." HB 16
would require passage by three-fifths of the legislators in both Houses
of the General Assembly and ratification by voters on the November 2004
ballot in order to succeed.
- Despite any rhetoric otherwise, this legislation is designed to make
a negative statement about families headed by same-sex couples. Maryland
does not recognize the relationships of gay and lesbian couples, even
if they have been together for forty years. A same-sex couple is considered
virtual strangers in the eyes of the law.
- A section of Maryland Family Code already states "only a marriage
between a man and a woman is valid in this State." This legislation
is a divisive attempt by mean-spirited legislators to pour salt in the
wound of families who are already discriminated against by the State.
- The Maryland Constitution ensures equal treatment for ALL Marylanders.
Amending our most sacred state document to single out a group of people
for discrimination is radical and wrong. The Constitution should be
used to confer rights and protections, not codify existing discrimination
and treat one group of Marylanders different from others.
- Sodomy laws were used for decades to stigmatize gay and lesbian Americans,
deny them anti-discrimination protections, and justify denying them
custody of their children. This legislation is no different. A constitutional
amendment of this ilk would permanently stain the relationships of gay
and lesbian couples, brand LGBT Marylanders as second class citizens,
and negatively impact the children who are raised by same-sex parents.
- This legislation is bad politics. Marylanders are most concerned about
REAL issues like the economy, jobs, schools, and healthcare -- not finding
ways to further discriminate against gays and lesbians.
- Issues involving civil marriage between gays and lesbians should be
dealt with through regular laws and legislation, instead of rushing
through the extraordinary step of passing an amendment to the State
Constitution.
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