By Laura DeKoven Waxman
March 5, 2012

Maryland became the eighth state to allow same'sex marriage March 1 when Governor Martin O’Malley signed into law legislation that had passed the state Senate on a 25-22 vote February 23 and the House of Delegates on a 72-67 vote February 17. The Civil Marriage Protection Act does not take effect until January 2013. It’s considered likely that opponents will collect the 56,000 signatures needed to petition a referendum on the measure, which would be included on the November ballot. O’Malley is the former mayor of Baltimore.

Just before signing the bill into law, O’Malley made the following statement:

“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 to be 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. At the heart of religious freedom is the freedom of individual conscience.

“If there is a thread that unites the story of our people, it is the thread of human dignity; the dignity of work; the dignity of family; the dignity of every child’s home; the dignity of every individual.

“We are One Maryland, and all of us, at the end of the day, want the same thing for our children: to live in a loving, stable, committed home protected equally under the law.”

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake testified in support of the measure before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee January 31. “All couples in Maryland, regardless of sexual orientation, want their children protected under the law,” she told the Committee. “Just as a straight couples’ commitment to family is legally-recognized, so too should a gay couples’ commitment be recognized. The bottom line is that marriage protects families…. All couples, regardless of sexual orientation, deserve the same legal protections and rights,” she continued.

In contrast, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie vetoed same'sex marriage legislation on February 17, the day after it passed the state Assembly on a 42-33 vote. The bill had passed the state Senate 24-16 on February 13. “I am adhering to what I’ve said since this bill was first introduced – an issue of this magnitude and importance, which requires a constitutional amendment, should be left to the people of New Jersey to decide,” Christie said in a statement. The bill’s supporters have until January 14, 2014 to override the veto, which would require three more votes in the Senate and 12 more in the Assembly.