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Steven Goldstein of Garden State Equality told Maryland lawmakers who are weighing various gay rights bills that ‘civil unions do not provide all the rights and benefits of marriage simply without the name.’ (Photo by George Olivar/AP)
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Maryland General Assembly bill tracker
Religious Freedom & Civil Marriage Protection Act
Would make valid the marriages of same-sex couples
HB 351: Heard Feb. 28, no vote scheduled
SB 290: Heard Feb. 14, no vote scheduled
Change Term “Marriage” to “Civil Marriage”
Would replace such term in state law
HB 631: Heard Feb. 28, no vote scheduled
Health Care Visitation and Medical Decisions
Would empower domestic partners in medical decisions
HB 733: Heard March 4, no vote scheduled
SB 566: Heard Feb. 27, no vote scheduled
Recordation & Transfer Tax Exemption
Would exempt domestic partners from certain tax liabilities
HB 746: Heard March 6, no vote scheduled
SB 597: Heard March 6, no vote scheduled
Domestic Partnerships
Would enact domestic partnerships
HB 848: Heard Feb. 28, no vote scheduled
HB 1174: Heard Feb. 28, no vote scheduled
SB 689: Heard Feb. 14, no vote scheduled
Civil Unions – Establishment, Rights
and Responsibilities
Would enact civil unions
HB 1112: Heard Feb. 28, no vote scheduled
Maryland’s Marriage Protection Act
Proposes a constitutional amendment
banning same-sex unions
HB 1345: Heard Feb. 28, no vote scheduled
SB 169: Heard Feb. 14, no vote scheduled
Inheritance Tax Exemption
Would exempt domestic partners from
certain tax liabilities
HB 668: Heard March 6, no vote scheduled
SB 523: Heard March 5, no vote scheduled
State Employees & Retirees – Health Insurance
Would insure domestic partners of state workers
SB 560: Heard March 5, no vote scheduled |
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HOME > NEWS > LOCAL
By: JOSHUA LYNSEN COMMENTS
 
continued...
the only fair way to settle the contentious issue is to put it to voters.
“At the end of the day, if the citizens of Maryland, the voters, determine that same-sex marriage should be legalized in this state, then who am I to stand in the way of that?” he said. “I have no right whatsoever to do that.”
Many people who spoke during the hearing, though, said civil rights should not be put to a vote.
“Rights should not be taken away from you because the majority believes that those rights do not, should not exist,” said Elbridge James, director of the Maryland Black Family Alliance. “That’s what you’re asking today when you ask to put it on the ballot. This is the wrong move in the wrong direction.”
Barnes noted that none of the rights conferred by the Religious Freedom & Civil Marriage Act could be considered special rights.
“We’re not giving people special rights,” he said. “We’re giving people the same rights that I enjoy and that the members of this committee enjoy — equality and equal rights under the law.”
And many who testified at the Feb. 28 hearing said that only equal marriage rights could guarantee such equality for same-sex couples.
Goldstein, who described civil unions as “a Band-Aid on a cancer,” encouraged Maryland legislators to learn from the misstep that New Jersey lawmakers made.
“At least one in every four employers in the state of New Jersey is ignoring the civil union law, refusing to respect civil unions like marriage,” he said. “And as a result, same-sex couples are going without full health benefits from their employers. They’re going without full health care. They’re going without financial, emotional and economic security. The New Jersey civil union law has put New Jersey in a civil rights emergency.”
Joshua Lynsen can be reached at jlynsen@washblade.com.
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