Maryland Legislature Approves Equal Marriage

The state senate approved the measure 25-22 last night, the state house having already passed it by a vote of 72-67 last week.  Governor Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, has promised to sign the measure into law.

However, as with Washington state's passage and signing of a similar law earlier this month, the law will face a referendum by voters this coming November, and who knows how that will turn out.  Still, every little step forward is good news.  Now we only have about 42 other states to drag into the 21st century . . . if the Supreme Court doesn't beat us to it.

But somehow I have a feeling it just won't turn out that simple and easy.  Not in this decade, at least. 

Oh well, one day it will all come together.  At least we can see the first rays of dawn now, even if us old-timers don't live to walk in the sunshine.

In other news, Equality Maine has succeeded in collecting enough signatures to get a referendum on equal marriage on the November ballot this year.  My truckbuddies will recall that the Maine legislature and governor enacted marriage equality in 2009, but the law never went into effect, suffering a "people's veto" at the polls later that year.  Our side thinks with the changing attitudes in that state, they can turn that around now, and I hope they're right.

Click here for an updated map of same-sex union laws around the country.