CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Marriage equality advocates in Maryland had many reasons to feel hopeful about the legislative session this year, not least because of lawmakers who promised to vote for a marriage equality bill. Memories of campaign pledges from lawmakers only magnified the disappointment when, in a shocking procedural move, the house of delegates voted in March to recommit the bill, which sent it back to committee for consideration and effectively killed its prospects until at least 2012.
"It was quite public and quite traumatic to have people take a walk on equality," said Morgan Meneses-Sheets, executive director of Equality Maryland, a statewide advocacy group that helped elect some lawmakers who ended up backtracking.
One high-profile example was Del. Sam Arora, a newly elected Montgomery County Democrat and judiciary committee member who cosponsored the marriage bill, only to waver in his commitment, citing religious concerns after it passed the senate. He eventually voted to advance the bill from committee, but his inexplicable hand-wringing presaged a string of defections that contributed to advocates' decision to delay a floor vote rather than let the bill fail. Arora, who campaigned hard on marriage equality, met with outrage from gay donors, including some who demanded their money back.
"Other than [having] people in the bushes around his house, whispering through his window that they were the voice of God, I don't know how you change that," said Sen. Richard Madaleno, a gay lawmaker and lead sponsor of the bill. "In that sense, this is shocking."
"We do need to reconcile how do we hold someone accountable," said Meneses-Sheets, noting the state legislative election is three years away. "We can't say, 'We're going to oust you right away.' "
"Both of these bills ended their lives on motions to recommit this year," said transgender advocate Dana Beyer. "But there is a huge difference because the marriage equality proponents asked that the bill be recommitted because they didn't have the votes. But the gender identity bill proponents wanted the floor vote," and they weren't given the chance by the senate leadership.
As they rebuild, advocates take some comfort in progress. The bills had never cleared a committee before this year, let alone been passed by at least one chamber with bipartisan support.
"The fact is, we got really, really far," said Beyer. "We did not lose this on a vote. We ran out the clock."
It's too early to predict when the bills would see debate and votes again, especially after a legislative session where lack of guarantees seemed to be the biggest lesson of all.
"We have lot of analysis to do," said Meneses-Sheets. "We will be doing a lot of strategic planning. We're going to have a lot of conversations as the analysis and planning process is going on."
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
Black trans woman África Parrilla García shot to death in Puerto Rico
April 18 2024 4:55 PM
Marjorie Taylor Greene has sunk so low even Fox News can't stand her anymore
April 18 2024 4:04 PM
Single lesbians are avoided by straight women, but not straight men. Here's why.
April 18 2024 3:18 PM
The LGBTQ+ movie fan's guide to the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival
April 18 2024 2:44 PM
The federal government failed on mpox. Ritchie Torres's new bill addresses that (exclusive)
April 18 2024 1:21 PM
True
In the face of tweets and turmoil, why I left the South as a medical student
April 18 2024 7:30 AM
Trans man Tee Arnold shot to death in Florida
April 17 2024 4:41 PM
Can scientific research on the causes of homosexuality be used against LGBTQ+ people?
April 17 2024 4:02 PM