Legislative Action
After the Court of Appeals upheld the statutory ban on same-sex marriage in 2007, state senator Gwendolyn Britt of Landover Hills, along with delegates Victor R. Ramirez and Benjamin S. Barnes, sought to sponsor a marriage bill in the legislature. On January 12, 2008, Britt died of heart failure. Equality Maryland executive director Dan Furmansky, who originally approached Britt to sponsor the legislation, said her death was a "devastating loss, but civil rights struggles are greater than any one person, and as our fight for equality in Maryland continues, her spirit will be with us." On January 25, 2008, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act was introduced in the House of Delegates. The Senate version of the bill was introduced by senators Richard Madaleno and Jamie Raskin the same day. Advocates held a rally in support of the bill on February 11, 2008, but it ultimately failed in committee, alongside a constitutional ban introduced by Don Dwyer.
Read more about this topic: Same-sex Marriage In Maryland
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