Key Maryland Senator to Co-Sponsor Marriage Equality Bill

Unite the Fight recently posted a piece questioning whether Maryland could be the next step to recognize same-sex marriages due to the fact that their law doesn't ban the state from recognizing such marriages performed legally in other states.

As a result, we called an action for all to contact the pro-gay Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler and Gov. Martin O'Malley to evaluate the law. (And keep this up!)

Though recognition of same-sex marriages would be great, it's looking like Maryland is taking a step closer in performing those marriages itself.

The Gazette reports that key senator and chair of the Judicial Proceedings Committee, Brian Frosh, has announced that he plans to co-sponsor a marriage equality bill next year with Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr., who is openly gay and past sponsor of the bill.

Frosh has overseen the marriage debate in his committee for three years and had declined to sponsor any bill until now.

"But after three years I think that is no longer an issue," Frosh said. "I have chaired the hearings hopefully in a way that has been seen as fair, and there have not been complaints."

But why next year? Because the issue failed to get a vote in the 2009 General Assembly.

"We could have pushed harder, of course, but at the same time we were aware there were more votes that we needed," said Kate Runyon, executive director of Equality Maryland.

Supporters in the legislature say the question isn't "if," it's "when."