Republican Del. Donald H. Dwyer Jr. told a group of religious
leaders he plans to lead the fight to ban gay marriage in Maryland.
Whitman-Walker diagnoses up 232 percent from this time last year
Md. governor cites ‘busy schedule,’ prompting criticism
Barry opposes same-sex marriage, but would vote to legalize it
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JOE CREA
Friday, November 26, 2004
Inspired by the passage of constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage
in 13 states this year, and a lawsuit seeking to overturn Maryland’s ban
on such unions, opponents of gay marriage say they are energized and have vowed
to pressure the Maryland General Assembly to adopt an anti-gay marriage amendment
next year.
About 70 pastors assembled in Rosedale’s Mount Pleasant Baptist Church
last week and pledged to work to prevent the state from legalizing same-sex
marriages in Maryland. The group said it hopes to assemble 100,000 protesters
for a “Defend Maryland Marriage Rally” at the State House in Annapolis
on Jan. 27, according to the Associated Press.
The Rev. Clifford Johnson, senior pastor at the Rosedale church, called the
effort to prevent same-sex marriage an “all-out war.”
“Annapolis needs to know we are serious,” Johnson told the AP.
“We’re gonna do this for the glory of God.”
Del. Donald H. Dwyer Jr. (R-Anne Arundel) told the coalition during last week’s
meeting that he plans to continue to serve as a leading voice against gay marriage.
“I am appalled that the homosexual agenda is using civil rights as their
platform,” he said. “They are going to regret it just as they are
going to regret bringing this battle to Maryland. They are going to be black
and blue from this battle.”
Dwyer did not respond to Blade inquiries seeking comment.
Same-sex marriage proponents have described the group as a small minority of
citizens.
“We anticipate that the legislature will continue to reject the efforts
to enshrine discrimination as they’ve done in the past,” said Stacy
Mink, development director for the Maryland American Civil Liberties Union.
Earlier this year, the General Assembly rejected attempts to reinforce a law
banning gay marriage. In March, the House Judiciary Committee voted 11-9 to
kill a bill that would have prohibited Maryland from recognizing a gay marriage
performed in another state or foreign country. Another defeated bill, sponsored
by Del. Charles R. Boutin (R-Cecil, Harford Counties), sought to amend Maryland’s
Constitution to read, “Only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid
in this state.”
Marriage has been limited to opposite-sex couples in Maryland since 1973 under
Section 2-201 of the Family Law Article, which provides, “Only a marriage
between a man and a woman is valid in this state.”
Yet the votes against attempts to strengthen Maryland’s same-sex marriage
ban occurred months before the ACLU sued the city of Baltimore and four Maryland
county clerks claiming that the state’s law prohibiting gay marriage violates
the Maryland Constitution.
The case, Deane vs. Conaway, was filed in Baltimore City Court in July on
behalf of nine same-sex couples and a man whose partner recently died. The lawsuit
was filed with the cooperation of Equality Maryland, a statewide gay rights
group.
A hearing is scheduled in Baltimore Circuit Court on March 14.
At last week’s meeting, ministers also announced plans for a rally on
March 10 to draw attention to the hearing, according to the AP.
Gay marriage advocates insist that the lawsuit was not filed prematurely and
expressed confidence that lawmakers will reject any attempt to ban gay unions
in the state’s constitution.
“All of the questions being asked now after the election are the same
ones we asked before the election and in the end our calculus would have been
no different,” said Ken Choe, staff attorney with the ACLU Lesbian &
Gay Rights Project.
Joe Crea can be reached at jcrea@washblade.com.
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