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The same-sex marriage bill was passed in Maryland Senate by 25 to 22 Thursday night, and Gov. Martin O' Malley has vowed to sign it into law.
Maryland is expected to become the eighth state where same-sex marriage is legalized if it can earn the passage in the House of Delegates, in order to achieve which same-sex marriage supporters agreed to opponents on placing the new law on the November ballot.
This has put President Obama in a big dilemma, as he has, on the one hand, tried to win over the gay community for donations and votes in his reelection campaign, but on the other, he seems to give a guarded welcome to marriage rights.
David Mixner, an important gay rights activist as well as an Obama campaign donor, said: "It is essential that he makes clear to the voters of Maryland, without any caveats, that if he were a resident of the state, he would vote against repeal."
He added: "We can't afford to have his statement be ambiguous so the other side can claim that hes on their side."
If the same-sex marriage bill is passed in the end, its supporters have to overcome stiff opposition from blocs of African American lawmakers.
(Agencies) |
