Prop 8 Trial Tracker

Watch Maryland Gov. and AG testify in support of marriage equality in the state Senate

February 2, 2012

By Jacob Combs

As the Washington Blade reports, more than 75 citizens attended yesterday’s hearing on the Civil Marriage Protection Act in the Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.  W testimony lasting over four hours, there were, naturally, strong opinions on both sides.  Sen. Allan Kittleman, one of the few Republicans to support the bill, recalled his father’s civil rights work, telling the Senate, “What my father taught me is that you don’t take away someone’s civil rights because of something that might happen. You can deal with the ‘mights’ later on. But make sure we get the civil rights done now. Make sure we get that equality for everyone in our community now.”

On the other end of the spectrum, as Towleroad reported, was 14-year-old Sarah Crank, who had this to say during her testimony:

“Today is my 14th birthday and it would be the best birthday present ever if you would vote NO on gay marriage. I really feel bad for the kids who have two parents of the same gender. Even though some kids think it’s fine, they have no idea what kind of wonderful experiences they miss out on. I don’t want more kids to get confused about what’s right and okay. I really don’t want to grow up in a world where marriage isn’t such a special thing anymore.”

There were, however, two significant advocates of the bill who testified before the Senate: Gov. Martin O’Malley and Attorney General Douglas Gansler.  O’Malley’s strong support for the bill is one of the main factors for why marriage equality’s fate in Maryland may differ this year from last year. The governor reiterated his commitment to equality in his State of the State address yesterday, saying, “It is not right and it is not just that the children of gay couples should have lesser protections than the children of other families in our state.”

Gansler recently told marriage equality supporters that he has felt strongly about the issue for several years, touching upon a 2010 opinion he wrote saying Maryland should recognize out-of-state marriages for gay couples:

“I’ve been testifying for this about three or four years now, ever since I’ve been Attorney General.  I didn’t tell my political people. I just did it because it’s the right thing to do. And then in early 2010, we wrote the opinion recognizing out-of-state same-sex marriages, so that people who did want to go to another state, could come here from  the five states — now six, including the District of Columbia — can come here and legally have that recognized.

“Obviously the law that we have — marriage between a man and a woman — is unconstitutional. It defies the equal protection, it’s against due process, and  it will change.”

He also warned that the vote in the legislature would only be the first step towards full equality in Maryland, telling supporters he was certain the issue would go to a voter referendum.

Below, you can watch both Gov. O’Malley and Attorney General Gansler’s testimony from Tuesday’s Senate hearing.  (Thanks to Towleroad for compiling these clips.)

Filed under: Marriage equality

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