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Budget may eclipse gay marriage in '09 session


Dwyer promises to press constitutional amendment


by C. Benjamin Ford
Friday, December 19, 2008

Cold economic realities are going to put a damper on activists fired up over gay marriage because of the Proposition 8 battle in California.

"As much as it pains me that we're not going to spend two weeks on the floor of the General Assembly debating this, we're not going to see that this session," said Carrie Evans, policy director of Equality Maryland, the lead organization for gay marriage in the state.

The upcoming legislative session which begins Jan. 14 will be dominated by the budget, she said.

"Part of me as a lesbian who wants to get a marriage license to marry my partner is bothered by that, but part of me is a homeowner who doesn't want my property taxes to skyrocket," Evans said.

The referendum overturning gay marriage in California was a step backward for the movement, but it also fired up people to push for equality, she said.

"We saw protests pop up everywhere in Maryland," Evans said. "A lot of those who were protesting were new people we hadn't seen at our rallies. When something inspires people to do something they haven't done before, that is going to help us in the long run."

The Proposition 8 referendum also will cause some politicians to take a step back, Evans said.

"Whenever the court of public opinion doesn't go with us, the politicians in the middle who are fair-weather friends get nervous when they see a state like California that is seen as progressive defeat this," she said.

Del. Donald H. Dwyer Jr. (R-Dist. 31) of Glen Burnie, who opposes gay marriage, said he was encouraged by the Proposition 8 vote in California.

"When the vote was put to the public, they upheld traditional marriage," Dwyer said.

Dwyer plans to reintroduce an amendment to the state constitution to identify marriage as only between a man and a woman. He doesn't expect economic and budgetary issues to push the issue to the back burner.

"I'm going to put the bill in and fight the fight," Dwyer said. "My only goal in life is to get a vote on that issue. Win, lose or draw, we owe it to the citizens of Maryland to have the guts to have a vote on that issue."

The legislature has enough time to work on the budget and the other issues, he said.

"Last year the homosexual lobby encouraged 13 pieces of legislation designating rights for people who live a homosexual lifestyle," he said.

For Cynthia Boersma, legislative director for the American Civil Liberties Union, the Proposition 8 vote increased activism among younger adults.

"These are the voters who will be having an impact on the next round of elections. The fact hundreds turned out in Baltimore city for a spontaneous demonstration that had a hopeful mood to it, that's a really good sign," Boersma said.

Supporters of gay marriage intend to use this session to introduce to legislators the religious leaders who are supporters, she said.

From her experience in calling voters in California as a volunteer phone banker, she judged about a third of people are in the middle and can be swayed by either side. These people's positions are wrapped up in their faith.

"They're looking for a way to reconcile their religious beliefs with fairness," she said. "So it's our job to reach out to those in the black Christian communities in Prince George's County and moderate Catholic communities in Baltimore County and Baltimore city," she said.

While some people will hold that their religious beliefs require them to be intolerant toward gays, other people of faith have reconciled their religious views with their support for gays, and these are the people who can help convince the undecided 30 percent, she said.

"These are not usually hateful people," she said. "They have gay friends. They have gay family members and they don't want to leave their church over this. For some people faith is a convenient excuse not to support equality. But for others it's a very real issue. But we have Catholic faith leaders and black protestant faith leaders who can sit down and talk with them."