The House committee hearing on whether to allow same-sex couples to marry opened this afternoon with testimony from bill sponsors, openly gay legislators and other supporters.
"This is not about abstractions," said Del. Heather Mizeur, as she introduced her wife, Deborah. "This is not about definitions."
The two married in 2008 in California, yet, the Montgomery County Democrat said, "right now we are legal strangers to each other."
After an hour, the committee switched to opponents and will continue to alternate as it makes its way through dozens of scheduled witnesses today. The audience has spilled over into a second viewing room.
Pastors, lawyers and the chairwoman of the National Organization for Marriage were among the opponents to testify this afternoon. "Most of my adult relationships are untouched by the law," said Maggie Gallagher, chairwoman of the National Organization for Marriage. Of heterosexual marriage, she said, "these are the only unions that create new life."
Chairman Joseph Vallario, a Prince George's County Democrat, kicked off the hearing by saying his House Judiciary Committee would likely vote on the measure early next week. It is expected to clear the committee; a majority of members are co-sponsors.
The House testimony comes a day after the Senate voted 25-21 to approve legislation that would end Maryland's 38-year-old definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman. The measure's fate on the House floor remains a mystery, as the larger chamber appears about evenly split.
Del. Luiz Simmons, a Montgomery County Democrat supportive of same-sex marriage, delivered spicy testimony, poking fun at Eastern Shore Republicans and saying he'd reviewed the witness list and found that "God has not signed up either for or against" the legislation. Same-sex marriage opponents in the audience booed.
Del. Keiffer Mitchell said the state should continue its 400-year tradition of tolerance. He urged lawmakers to focus on the separation of church and state. "We don't make laws solely based on religious doctrine," said the Baltimore Democrat.
Del. Don Dwyer Jr., an Anne Arundel County Republican who has called himself "the face of the opposition" began his testimony with a prayer. He implored legislators to look to their faith.
"Look deep into your soul for the answer," he said.
Testimony is expected to continue for hours.
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Update 3/1 - Some unanticipated dissent in the bills supporter's ranks...
35 comments:
run hide! the queers are coming! everybody be afraid! run! Queers! Next it'll be werewolves! or worse, poor people! good lord, imagine if poor people and gays and minorities were given rights! what would Jesus say?
First Republicans had to give women rights, then they were forced to recognize black people as humans, now gays! When will it end? Oh the (white-christian)horror of it all!!!
lol! Lincoln was a Republican dumb-*ss! Don't you read history? The Democrats fought FOR slavery.
...just like they currently fight for pederasty.
More victims... THAT's what the Democrats so desperately need to justify their existence.
After all, how many babies have the Democrats killed since Roe vs Wade?
It's not enough that you encourage women to kill their children. Now you want the state to sanction putting their custody in the hands of homosexual pederasts.
You might as well entrust their care to Catholic priests.
So yer saying you don't like the bum? No brown Onion for you huh? Are you afraid of gays, or did Jesus tell you to hate them? Cause, you know, Jesus preached hatred of minority groups, or did he?
I bet you haven't even tried the bum.
What do you care who has sex with whom? Huh? What happened to individual rights? Sex between two people is NOT your business, and it certainly is not the governments.
Studies show that homophobes are 30% more likely to have gay tendencies themselves. Arousal rate is much higher in clinical studies.
You should try the bum, you might like it. Don't be afraid.
Nope. I'm saying that you're a dumb*ass.
Cuz at some point in this dialogue, even you are going to have to ask a very pertinent question, "Why would a Deist care what Jeebus preached?"
Oh wait, ALL conservatives are X-tians. I almost forgot your necessity that I conform with all your preconceptions vis a vis "conservatives" lest your arguments devolve into more of the same meaningless liberal PC psycho-babble you typically post at your website.
? Sex between two people is NOT your business, and it certainly is not the governments. I agree whole heartedly. That's why I'm against granting tax-breaks to sodomites that should be going to fertile and potentially child-bearing sexual unions.
Studies show that homophobes are 30% more likely to have gay tendencies themselves. Arousal rate is much higher in clinical studies.
That's funny since "homophobia" is a gay-made term with no actual foundations in reality.
"Homophobia" is actually more a dislike of those who might attempt sexual domination of another already sexually dominant person (male). It's not a phobia, per se, but an attack response.
ps - And I don't hate homosexuals. I simply find their unnecessary fecal disease spreading predilections "disgusting". :)
And for the record, I wasn't talking about the civil war or slavery, I was talking about the Republican war against African american's in the 1940s 50s 60s 70s and so on...
btw - Public health SHOULD BE a public health / governmental concern. A GREAT reason for making unnecessary acts of sodomy ILLEGAL.
"fecal disease spreading predilections"? LOL. Gross.
Actually, I agree with you on one thing: i find male-on-male sex discussing as well. But I'm not going to deny them individual rights, including 'union tax breaks', because of a personal preference. TO do so is real DOMINATION.
I was talking about the Republican war against African american's in the 1940s 50s 60s 70s and so on...
Are you referring to the patronizingly misguided Democrats War on African Americans from the 60's to present, economically inducing them to accept debilitating welfare and government handouts? lol!
You are really stuck on this sodomy thing huh... Sounds like you have a fetish. Gays didn't invent anal sex Joe. Declaring sex acts between adults illegal is a human rights violation. Seems I hold the values of your constitution in higher status than you do.
you go ahead and ask the government to mandate sexual practices, and see if that stops anal sex. LOL. Just like 'the war on terror' increases terrorism and the 'war on drugs' increases profits for drug lords.
Maybe all you should stop waring in general and you might actually so some positive change.
Daniel Patrick Moynihan documented Democrat's destruction of the Black Family. Unfortunately, since his "timely" report, the situation has gotten 2x as bad...
Welfare sucks, I agree. It's a flawed plan to help. But so does asking people with nothing to compete in a "market" with people who already have everything. It's not a fair "competition". You want to see who actually deserves it and who are just lazy slugs, start everyone at zero - with equal opportunity in all areas (income, education, influence, etc) and see what happens. If fair was fair the Asians would run your country.
Agrees, the approach of Republicans and Democrats, BOTH, is flawed. I agree. But Regan did more to hurt black families than any one since slavery. The stats don't lie. Poverty went way up, incomes down, crime up, etc. DO the research.
Declaring sex acts between adults illegal is a human rights violation. Seems I hold the values of your constitution in higher status than you do.
lol! You must have never read Madison or his Memorial and Remonstrance.... You really should educate yourself as to the 9th and 10th Amendments of the US Constitution as well so as to differentiate "rights" granted by States (alienable) vs the Declaration of Independence for those "rights" of a more "Inalienable" nature and origin.
Like I said, the Dems and Reps are both branches of the same cancer: USA Inc. It's a shell game to distract you and steal everything of value. right? left? LOL.
If fair was fair the Asians would run your country.
In economic outcome terms.... they do.
rich guys writing on fancy paper don't give rights, all human rights are inalienable: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml
The stats don't lie. Poverty went way up, incomes down, crime up, etc. DO the research.
lol! Perhaps destroying black families with morally hazardous "bubble-economy" welfare policies explains it better.
all human rights are inalienable
BWAH-HA-HA-HA. Tell that to the guys with the guns and monopoly on use of FORCE.
The only rights you can count on are those you TAKE and then defend with GUNS and fancy scraps of paper (only for the "civilized")
Bottomline: The Dem-Rep corporate one party state known globally as the rogue empire of American (REA) is about to be brought to its knees... So much better for the rest of us.
To think that an Islamic woman in Egypt or Pakistan has "rights" is a joke of the most vulgar sort.
is about to be brought to its knees...
BWAH-HA-HA-HA!
You ARE funny.
nope, she has them TAKEN from her by men and US backed dictators who seek to dominate them.
if you only knew Joe...
good night sweet-cheeks!
US backed dictators...
Will always be 100x better than Islamic mullahs building the next caliphate under Shari'a under a theocratic Guardianship of the Jurists (veleyaat al-fiqh).
Proof positive that the Left hasn't a CLUE as to the difference between alienable and inalienable rights.
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