Maryland gay marriage laws support marriage for heterosexual and homosexual couples alike. In November 2012, voters approved ballot Question 6, which allowed gay couples to be legally wed. The bill was passed into law and was active by 2013. The state was the ninth jurisdiction to legalize gay marriage in the U.S. The battle for marital equality in Maryland was a long one that faced much opposition from groups that sought to defend the traditional heterosexual wedding.
Question 6 evolved from the Civil Marriage Protection Act and was approved by Governor Martin O’Malley in 2012. Opposition for the bill arose in the form of a referendum proposed by anti-gay groups. Nonetheless, the law was officially active on January 1, 2013 when the state began issuing marriage licenses.
The Maryland Attorney General issued a statement that supported marriage equality in 2010, but the opinion was shot down by a Supreme Court Decision that supported only heterosexual marriage. Undeterred, activist groups continued to work with legislative officials to secure protections for gay couples. Soon after, the Court of Appeals agreed to honor the marriages of same sex couples who married out-of-state.
When the Civil Marriage Protection act hit the General Assembly in 2011, Governor O’Malley supported the bill despite facing opposition from various groups. The bill passed Senate with a 25-21 vote. The House of Delegates, on the other hand, opposed the bill and refused to reconsider until 2012.
After a redraft of the bill, it was approved by the House of Delegates and the Senate. In 2012, the bill that gave homosexual couples the right to marry was signed and passed into law. Popular vote supported the decision with a 52.4% majority.
Although Maryland gay marriage is legal, there are advocacy groups that are actively focused on protecting the existing laws and making sure that LGBT rights are not revoked. These include:
• ACLU Maryland, which is an organization that protects the rights of all individuals and guards against discrimination.
• Equality Maryland, which protects the rights of LGBT people in the state. They are the largest LGBT civil rights group in Maryland.
As of 2011, there were approximately 17,000 gay couples living in Maryland. This reflects a 51% rise over the last decade. Maryland gay marriage laws remain supportive of same sex couples.
