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JOSHUA LYNSEN
Friday, October 20, 2006
Maryland’s
gubernatorial
candidates
avoided
any
mention
of
gay
issues
this
week
in
the
only
two
televised
debates
of
the
campaign.
The
failure
to
address
gay
issues
by
Republican
Gov.
Robert
Ehrlich
and
his
Democratic
opponent,
Baltimore
Mayor
Martin
O’Malley,
disappointed
some
gay
activists.
“I
think
it
would
have
been
worthwhile,”
said
Meredith
Moise,
a
Maryland
representative
of
the
National
Black
Justice
Coalition.
“I
think
LGBT
voters
need
to
know
where
both
of
these
candidates
stand
in
terms
of
marriage
equality,
and
in
terms
of
protecting
them
and
their
families.”
But
the
omission
of
gay
topics
pleased
others,
including
Equality
Maryland
Executive
Director
Dan
Furmansky.
“I
believe
that
any
time
political
debates
fail
to
bring
gay
issues
into
play,
it’s
a
good
thing
for
the
gay
community,”
he
said.
“The
last
thing
we
need
to
be
is
a
political
football
for
the
Democratic
and
Republican
candidates.
We
know
who
supports
us,
and
we’ll
support
that
person
accordingly.”
Despite
the
lack
of
debate
on
gay
marriage
in
the
campaign,
the
state
is
poised
to
make
national
headlines
when
the
Maryland
Court
of
Appeals
hears
a
case
challenging
the
state’s
ban
on
same-sex
unions.
Oral
arguments
are
expected
in
December.
Nine
gay
couples
and
a
man
whose
partner
died
are
parties
to
the
suit
seeking
marriage
rights.
The
case,
Deane
vs.
Conaway,
was
filed
in
July
2004
by
the
American
Civil
Liberties
Union
and
Equality
Maryland.
A
lower
court
ruled
that
the
state’s
ban
on
gay
marriage
is
unconstitutional.
O’Malley
supports
civil
unions,
but
opposes
gay
marriage.
He
also
opposes
amending
the
state
constitution
to
ban
same-sex
marriage.
Ehrlich
endorsed
an
amendment
effort,
which
died
in
committee
earlier
this
year.
Ehrlich
last
year
vetoed
the
Medical
Decision
Making
Act,
which
would
have
given
straight
and
gay
unmarried
couples
several
rights,
including
hospital
visitation
and
medical
decision-making
power.
More
recently,
though,
Ehrlich
appointed
an
openly
gay
judge
to
the
Baltimore
District
Court,
and
fired
a
state
official
for
calling
gays
and
lesbians
“sexual
deviants.”
Those
issues
were
not
discussed
during
Monday’s
debate.
Instead,
Ehrlich
and
O’Malley
focused
on
education,
crime
and
taxes.
The
moderator
did
not
ask
either
candidate
to
discuss
gay
issues.
But
some
observers,
including
Defend
Maryland
Marriage
Chair
Rick
Bowers,
said
that
discussion
wasn’t
needed.
“I
don’t
think
it
would
have
served
any
purpose,”
he
said.
“I
think
that
both
of
their
positions
have
been
pretty
well
laid
out
for
all
those
who
are
concerned.”
Zeese
assails
GOP
over
gay
marriage
The
U.S.
Senate
campaign
in
Maryland
has
similarly
been
devoid
of
debate
on
gay
issues.
U.S.
Senate
candidates
Rep.
Ben
Cardin
(D),
Lt.
Gov.
Michael
Steele
(R)
and
Kevin
Zeese
(Green
Party)
focused
on
other
topics
during
their
first
debate
Oct.
3.
Cardin
favors
civil
unions
over
equal
marriage
rights.
Steele
opposes
gay
marriage,
while
Zeese
supports
equal
marriage
rights
for
gay
couples.
The
lone
reference
to
gay
marriage
during
the
Oct.
3
debate
came
from
Zeese,
who
said
Republicans
cite
it
as
a
reason
why
voters
should
oppose
Democratic
candidates.
He
said
Republicans
would
have
voters
believe
that
if
Democrats
win
in
November,
“all
the
gays
will
get
married
—
marriage
will
be
destroyed.
It’s
all
nonsense.
It’s
all
exaggeration.”
Furmansky
and
Moise
praised
Zeese
for
making
the
point.
“I
think
that
we
need
to
look
not
just
in
the
Maryland
races,
but
in
races
all
across
the
country,
at
how
the
parties
use
our
community,”
Moise
said.
“The
rhetoric
can
be
very
divisive,
which
can
be
dangerous.”
Activists
were
grateful
that
Cardin
called
for
greater
equality
in
American
society,
and
expressed
hope
that
he
might
some
day
favor
equal
marriage
rights.
Meanwhile,
they
criticized
Steele
for
his
pledge
to
“stand
for
the
people
of
Maryland.”
Furmansky
and
Moise
said
they
have
no
reason
yet
to
believe
Steele
would
stand
for
gay
Marylanders.
Bowers,
however,
said
Steele
holds
the
best
interests
of
all
Marylanders
at
heart.
“And
with
those
he
doesn’t
agree,
he
will
listen,”
Bowers
said.
“I
believe
that’s
all
anyone
should
require
of
a
public
servant.”
‘A
can
of
worms’
Furmansky
said
candidates
in
the
gubernatorial
and
U.S.
Senate
races
likely
omitted
gay
issues
because
such
talk
wouldn’t
win
them
any
new
voters.
“I
think
with
the
swing
voters
that
count,
it’s
not
a
factor,”
he
said.
“I
think
it’s
a
factor
for
those
of
us
who
care
about
these
issues,
and
I
think
the
vast
majority
of
voters
don’t
feel
that
these
issues
affect
them.”
Bowers
agreed.
He
said
voters
are
more
concerned
about
taxes,
education
and
public
safety
than
gay
issues.
“I
think
that
with
a
small
number
of
the
voters,
it
will
be
the
determining
factor,”
he
said.
“With
most
of
the
population,
I
don’t
think
it
will
be
a
factor.”
But
Furmansky
said
the
omission
of
gay
issues
from
the
debates
could
cause
some
voters
to
make
uninformed
decisions.
“I
do
have
some
concern
that
because
Gov.
Ehrlich
appointed
an
openly
gay
judge
and
fired
the
transportation
board
gentleman,
that
there
might
be
some
soccer
moms
who
don’t
perceive
him
as
being
anti-gay,”
he
said,
“when
we
know
the
truth.”
Moise
said
Ehrlich
remains
a
“guardian
of
traditional
marriage,”
a
position
that
pleases
his
base
of
supporters.
“I
think
Gov.
Ehrlich,
although
he
tries
to
paint
himself
as
a
moderate,
he
still
has
to
play
to
his
conservative
base,”
she
said.
“And
his
conservative
base
is
anti-gay.”
Moise,
however,
said
that
position
likely
won’t
be
articulated
in
any
remaining
debates.
“I
think
that
nobody
wants
to
talk
about
the
gays,”
she
said,
“because
it
can
really
open
up
a
can
of
worms.”
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