NEWS RELEASE
Wednesday, July 7, 2004

EQUALITY MARYLAND
Contact: Dan Furmansky, Executive Director
Phone:    Office 410-685-6567
Cell    301-461-4900
Email:  dan@equalitymaryland.org

LGBT MARYLANDERS DISAPPOINTED AGAIN WITH GOVERNOR
ROBERT L. EHRLICH, JR. (R)

Maryland Governor Says He Supports Efforts to Outlaw Same-Sex Marriage

BALTIMORE –– Equality Maryland, Maryland’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, condemned remarks made today by Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., effectively dismissing the concerns of thousands of Maryland families. In response to announcements by the ACLU and Equality Maryland that gay couples have filed a lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples, the following excerpt appeared in the Washington Post online:

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) dismissed the suit as part of the ACLU's "far left agenda" and said he would support efforts in the General Assembly to clarify the current law outlawing same-sex marriage. "Traditional marriage in my view and the view of most Marylanders and Americans is the cornerstone of our society," he said. "That used to be common sense."

“The Governor of Maryland has again displayed a complete insensitivity to the concerns of thousands of Maryland families,” said Executive Director Dan Furmansky. “There is nothing ‘far left’ about wanting the right to make burial arrangements for a partner, inherit a house that was shared together, and access important protections for a family’s peace of mind. Are the thousands of children of same-sex couples who live without the same security and protections as other children playing politics, as the Governor seems to imply?”

A marriage license confers more than a thousand federal, and hundreds of state-level, rights and responsibilities, including the right to visit a spouse in the hospital; make medical decisions for a spouse if he or she is ill; take family and medical leave to care for a sick spouse; file joint tax returns; and inherit property, disability and social security benefits in the event of a spouse's death. Despite strong opposition by certain religious denominations against legal marriage, no religious institution will ever be forced to perform or recognize marriages between same-sex couples.

“Fair-minded Marylanders continue to wait for just a modicum of compassion from the man who feels children of gay couples having important protections is bad for society, while slots remain a cure-all,” said Delegate Richard S. Madaleno (D-Kensington). “This Governor is out of step with a majority of Americans, who overwhelmingly support legal recognition for gay families.”

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Equality Maryland is Maryland's largest civil rights organization, focused on making life better for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens of Maryland.   Equality Maryland works to secure and protect the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Marylanders by promoting legislative initiatives on the state, county and municipal levels and educating the public about the issues faced by our diverse community.

Equality Maryland can be found online at www.equalitymaryland.org