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USA, MD: Governor O’Malley Raising Money for Marriage Equality Fight

Friday, March 23rd, 2012

It’s hard to tell who is mentoring whom when Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley are in the same room. The two served together on the U.S. Conference of Mayors and both ran for governor of their state in 2006, but O’Malley was the first of the two to be elected to the position.

“He became governor before I did, but I was happy to join him in his position,” Malloy said as he introduced O’Malley, who is also in charge of the Democratic Governors Association. Malloy is the finance director of the Democratic Governors Association.

“The wonderful thing about mayors is there’s not ideological,” O’Malley said. “They do the things that work to get it done.”

Full Story from CT News Junkie

Click here for gay wedding resources in Maryland.

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Tags: fundraising, governor martin o'malley, marriage equality, maryland

Featured Gay Friendly Wedding Vendor: Cherry Hill Park, College Park, Maryland

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

Periodically we’ll feature one of our vendors here to let our readers know about some great people who can help you plan the perfect wedding.

The Conference Center at Cherry Hill Park is the perfect venue for your wedding or formal event in College Park, Maryland for up to 180 people. Imagine your wedding day in our 3,600 square foot ballroom, with a suspended hardwood floor that’s perfect for dancing.

Our fireplace provides ambiance and warmth to any event, and our balcony gives your guests a bit of fresh air.

The Conference Center at Cherry Hill Park is very flexible – as a new venue, we’re keen to meet your needs. You can use our fully equipped commercial kitchen with your own caterer, or use one of ours. Or cater your weddingh yourself, if you prefer. Only Cherry Hill Park offers this kind of flexibility.

See the Cherry Hill Park Expanded Listing on Purple Unions Here

Gay Friendly Wedding Vendors in Maryland

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Tags: cherry hill park, college park, gay weddings, lesbian weddings, maryland

MD: Marriage Equality Foes Begin Training Signature Gatherers

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

The opponents to Maryland’s new same-sex marriage law are holding a series of closed-door training sessions to teach volunteers how to properly collect signatures to petition the measure to referendum.

In an email, the Maryland Marriage Alliance said it wants to “gather a minimum” of 150,000 signatures by May 31. “Past efforts have proven that the Board of Elections will invalidate at least 30% of the signatures, so it is imperative that we gather thousands and get it right!” according to the email.

The opponents to same-sex marriage are trying to downplay the online signature collection tool that was helpful in securing signatures for the successful campaign to repeal an bill giving in-state tuition discounts to illegal immigrants.

Full Story from The Baltimore Sun

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Tags: Gay Marriage, marriage equality, maryland, repeal, signature gatherers, training

MD: Supreme Court to Hear Lesbian Divorce Case

Sunday, March 18th, 2012

Jessica Port and Virginia Anne Cowan had settled on San Francisco as the place to turn their two-year engagement into a marriage, taking advantage of an opportunity in 2008 for same-sex couples to wed there.

They flew from their home in the District of Columbia, had a courthouse ceremony and played tourist in the city for a few days.

Two years later, the relationship in tatters, Port filed for divorce in Maryland, where she had bought a home. The women had already divided their belongings, didn’t hire lawyers, and they remained on terms so amicable that “we sat right next to each other at the divorce hearing,” Port recalled.

Full Story from the Baltimore Sun

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Tags: divorce, lesbian couple, maryland, supreme court

MD: Wedding Planners Await Start of Marriage Equality Law

Saturday, March 17th, 2012

When Gov. Martin O’Malley signed the Civil Marriage Protection Act on March 1, same-sex couples were not the only ones excited about the new law.

Some Maryland wedding planners, caterers and wedding photographers are backing same-sex marriage in part because they hope it will create a larger market for their services.

“I feel there will be a fast and large influx of weddings when the legislation passes. I know there are couples out there that have been waiting for this moment and they won’t want to wait a moment longer to have their special wedding day,” said Allison Barnhill, of Annapolis, who has designed wedding invitations for nearly 10 years.

Full Story from some.com

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Tags: gay weddings, lesbian weddings, marriage equality, maryland, wedding planners

MD: Governor O’Malley Says Voters Will Side With Human Dignity

Friday, March 16th, 2012

Maryland’s same-sex marriage debate may end up being decided in the voting booth, but Gov. Martin O’Malley told a conference on Catholicism and homosexuality Friday that he believes voters will come down on the side of human dignity.

Weeks after signing same-sex marriage into law, O’Malley spoke briefly at a conference sponsored by Mount Rainier-based New Ways Ministry, which advocates full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the church and society. The group supported the same-sex marriage legislation, which now faces a referendum drive challenge. Baltimore’s Catholic archdiocese issued a statement this week noting that the group does not speak for the church.

“I’m not here as a Catholic, I’m here as the governor for all of Maryland,” O’Malley said. “Each one of us in the public arena brings with us our own perspectives, our own traditions, our own faith traditions, our own ethnic backgrounds. What we hope and what we should expect of all our leaders is when they look at the Constitution is to protect rights equally among all people.”

Full Story from The Washington Post

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Tags: governor o'malley, human dignity, marriage equality, maryland

MD: Next Steps in the Fight for Marriage Equality

Friday, March 16th, 2012

Marylanders for Marriage Equality has begun hosting a series of Next Steps Community Meetings across the state. Many volunteers and supporters have questions about the referendum, the campaign’s next steps, and what they can do to remain involved to oppose the anti-gay marriage initiative in November.

These questions are being addressed at the community meetings. Representatives from the coalition are also briefly covering the efforts of the past few years and thanking supporters for their help during that time.

They are discussing what the campaign’s efforts will be and how people can help to win in November. This includes everything from voter registration to how to engage their friends, family and neighbors.

Full Story from The Washington Blade

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Tags: marriage equality, maryland, next steps

MD: One-on-One Conversations Key in Marriage Equality Battle

Friday, March 16th, 2012

Same-sex marriage might have been signed into law earlier this month but, for the dozens of advocates who packed the Takoma Park community center on Sunday, the battle was far from over.

The issue is likely to go before voters in November’s general election and could be repealed. But if supporters prevail, Maryland would become the first state to uphold a ballot measure related to same-sex marriage.

Getting there will take open discussion and one-on-one conversations, according to organizers from Marylanders for Marriage Equality, the nonprofit coalition that sponsored Sunday’s meeting, as well as several others across the state this week.

Full Story from Gazette.net

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Tags: conversations, Gay Marriage, marriage equality, maryland

MD: Marriage Equality Repeal Drive Launched

Wednesday, March 14th, 2012

Opponents of a measure that gives gay couples the right to marry in Maryland have officially begun their effort to overturn the law.

Maryland Marriage Alliance officials announced Wednesday that they have launched the petition drive to collect the nearly 56,000 signatures needed to bring the law to referendum on the November ballot.

The group, which is leading the referendum effort, is working with mdpetitions.com, an organization and website developed last year by a Maryland delegate, to collect signatures.

Full Story from The Washington Post

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Tags: Gay Marriage, marriage equality, maryland, repeal

MD: New Poll Shows 52% Support Marriage Equality Law

Friday, March 9th, 2012

A poll released Thursday shows that 52 percent of a sample of registered voters in Maryland would “definitely” or “probably” vote in favor of the state’s same-sex marriage bill in a referendum expected to be held in November.

The poll, commissioned by the same-sex marriage advocacy coalition Marylanders for Marriage Equality, shows that 44 percent of the voters polled would “definitely” or “probably” vote against the bill in a referendum.

Four percent of those sampled said they were unsure of how they would vote. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 4 percent. The poll of 600 Maryland voters was conducted March 5-7 by the national political polling firm Public Policy Polling. Marylanders for Marriage Equality commissioned the firm to do the poll.

Full Story from The Washington Blade

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Tags: law, marriage equality, maryland, new poll