Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley signed a bill that legalizes gay marriage in the state of Maryland on Thursday. Maryland will join Washington, D.C. and seven other states in the legalization of gay marriage. After O’Malley signed the bill at the State House in Annapolis, a crowd of supporters and onlookers erupted into applause, giving the Gov. a landmark of legislative success that was uncertain when he raised the issue on his own in 2011.
The Gov. said, “For a free and diverse people, for a people of many faiths, for a people committed to the principle of religious freedom, the way forward is always found through greater respect for the equal rights of all, for the human dignity of all. Religious freedom was the very reason for our state’s founding, and at the heart of religious freedom is the freedom of individual conscience.” The celebration was over in less than five minutes, and then O’Malley remained to pose for pictures. Some religious groups and black churches who oppose gay marriage will join Maryland Republicans to gather signatures to launch a petition for the November ballot. Whether or not the petition on the measure appears on the ballot in November, legalized gay marriages cannot begin until January 1, 2013.
