Key Md. Republican Backs Marriage

Sen. Allan Kittleman announced his support for the marriage equality
bill in Maryland on Wednesday, becoming the first, and perhaps the
only, Republican senator to support the measure in a move expected to
strengthen its prospects for passage.

The senator released a statement one day after publicly breaking ranks with his Republican colleagues, who voted as a caucus to oppose the measure pending in the state legislature. In the statement, he also announced that he would abandon his proposal for a civil unions bill, a consensus attempt he conceived last month that failed to gain traction among gay rights activists and senators from either party.

Kittleman, the son of the late state senator and civil rights leader Robert H. Kittleman, explained his decision in an interview with The Advocate.

“My primary goal was equal rights for same-sex couples,” he said. “After four weeks of looking at [the civil unions bill] it was evident to me that there wasn’t going to be any desire to go that way, although the folks knew I was trying to do what I thought was best. I really am looking forward to supporting Senate Bill 116.”

Senate Bill 116, officially called the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, was introduced in the Maryland senate and house of delegates last month. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday in the senate’s judicial proceedings committee.

Last month, Kittleman abruptly stepped down as senate minority leader over disagreement with more socially conservative Republican colleagues about his civil union bill. He anticipated he might be the only senator from his party to support the marriage equality bill, although he cautioned that time remains in the session to change minds.

"Right now I am not optimistic that there will be any of my colleagues in the senate,” he said. “The only indication I have is that most if not all oppose it.”