MD: Status of the Gay Rights Movement in Maryland

Gay rights are in limbo in Baltimore. However, there is some progress being made nearby in D.C.. The nation has a revised hate crimes bill, which expands the definition of a hate crime to include gender, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity. In addition, the Washington D.C. City Council has introduced the Religious Freedom & Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009, which will allow gay marriages to be performed within the district. The City Council is expected to pass the bill, but it needs to be reviewed by Congress before it can be made into law. Though there are fierce opponents to same-sex marriage in the GOP, it is very rare for Congress to strike down laws passed by the D.C. Council-it has only happened three times in the past 25 years. It will take a few months, but it looks like gay marriage has come to D.C. However, the current administration has made it clear that they do not intend to create federal laws anytime soon - they continue, time and again, to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in the courts. Baltimore (and Maryland as a whole) has had almost no reaction to either the positive or negative developments. This is actually harmful to the gay rights movement - in cases of civil rights, there is a precedent of individual states taking action long before the federal government follows suit with their own laws. This means that the nation is dependent on the action of individual states, and the citizens of those states depend on the action of their local governments to protect their rights. Full Story from Radar Redux: http://www.radarredux.com/component/content/article/34-november-09-reviews/246-the-hold-up-gay-rights-stalled-in-maryland.html

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in Maryland.

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