NEWS RELEASE
Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2003                        

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

MASSACHUSETTS RULING BRINGS HOPE TO MARYLAND'S GAY AND LESBIAN COMMUNITY

Civil Rights Group Says Maryland Should Legally Recognize Civil Marriages of Same-Sex Couples Performed in Massachusetts

BALTIMORE - Maryland's gay and lesbian community hailed a decision today by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court which stated that same-sex couples deserve equal civil marriage rights under the Massachusetts state constitution. The ruling in Goodridge et al. v. Department of Public Health would make Massachusetts the first in the nation to grant same-sex couples the right to a civil marriage license.   The Court stopped short of ordering marriage licenses to be granted immediately to same-sex couples and ordered the Legislature to come up with a solution within 180 days.

"This is truly a pro-family decision," said Dan Furmansky, Executive Director of Free State Justice, Maryland's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights group.   "With a civil marriage license, gay and lesbian couples in Massachusetts will have access to hundreds of rights and responsibilities that will enable them to properly care for each other and their families. At the same time, it shines a light on the need for these same protections for couples here in Maryland."  

According to 2000 census data, there are more than 11,000 families headed by same-sex couples in Maryland, in every county in the state.   Maryland does not recognize relationships between gay and lesbian couples, no matter how long the commitment.  

"While our families have the same needs of any other family, we are unfortunately denied crucial, basic protections," Furmansky said. "Heterosexual couples take for granted the ability to visit each other in the hospital, make health care and financial decisions for each other, and take family leave to care for a sick family member. Maryland recognizes marriages between opposite-sex couples that are performed in Massachusetts, and the State should do the same for civil marriages between gay and lesbian couples," Furmansky said.  

"This decision will not force any religious institution to recognize a marriage between a same-gender couple," said Rev. David Flaherty, board member of Free State Justice and Pastor of Saint Sebastian Parish in Baltimore.   "This is about a civil marriage license issued by the state and a civil marriage license only. It is each religious body's choice how they deal with the blessing of same-sex relationships."

Vermont's Civil Unions law affords same-sex couples in that state all of the rights and benefits under state law to same-sex couples.   Domestic partner laws in California, the District of Columbia, Hawaii and Connecticut allow same-sex couples access to some of the basic benefits and protections afforded to married heterosexual couples.   

"Maryland is lagging behind much of the rest of the country on this issue, and the time has come for our fair-minded legislators in Annapolis to take a serious look at these inequities and to find a solution," Furmansky said.  

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Free State Justice is Maryland's largest civil rights organization focused on making life better for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens of Maryland.   Free State Justice can be found online at www.freestatejustice.org .