NEWS RELEASE
December 9 , 2004

EQUALITY MARYLAND
Contact: Dan Furmansky, Executive Director
Phone:    Office 301-587-7500
Toll Free in Maryland: 888-440-9944
Cell    301-461-4900
Email:  dan@equalitymaryland.org

EQUALITY MARYLAND REFUTES MARYLAND DELEGATE'S STATEMENT

Legal Same-Sex Marriage is a Threat to Religious Freedom, Says Del. Donald Dwyer

Silver Spring, MD. -- Equality Maryland, Maryland's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender statewide advocacy organization, expressed its outrage that Maryland Delegate Don Dwyer (R-Anne Arundel) has spread hateful and inaccurate information in calling for an amendment to the Maryland Constitution. In an e-mail message sent to pastors on Dec. 1st, Del. Dwyer states, with regard to litigation initiated by the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland challenging the constitutionality of Maryland's marriage
laws, "if successful, the courts will demand that you marry same-sex individuals by law in your church."

"While numerous churches and synagogues across Maryland already bless same-sex unions, Del. Dwyer's church and other congregations will always have the right to reject same-sex unions," said Executive Director Dan Furmansky. "Much in the same way that equality under the law is a founding
principle of our society, so too is the free exercise of religion. Surely Del. Dwyer must know this."

The First Amendment protects religious institutions from governmental interference in matters of faith, including who may be married within a given place of worship. Many religious groups already refuse to perform marriages between couples that have been legally married under Maryland law.
Some clergy will not marry an interfaith couple. The Roman Catholic Church does not recognize a marriage between a man and a woman unless it was performed by a priest. And although divorce in the United States is universally-recognized, the Roman Catholic Church refuses to recognize those
legal divorces.

"If the plaintiffs are successful in their lawsuit, the State could be required to grant licenses to same-sex couples and Clerks of the Court could be required to perform ceremonies when requested," said Dan Friedman, Adjunct Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Maryland School
of Law. "However, a member of the clergy would not be forced to perform a ceremony that violated his or her conscience or religious policy. To require otherwise would violate religious freedom guaranteed by both the Maryland and U.S. Constitutions."

This is not the first time that Del. Dwyer has said maliciously untrue things about gay people. On the website, www.defendmarylandmarriage.com, Dwyer states, "We believe it is necessary that church leaders across Maryland be exposed to the vile and militaristic agenda of the homosexual
activist and that they are exposed to their intent to sodomize our children." Del. Dwyer has attacked immigrants, Muslims and atheists and has gone so far as to suggest that "...there is no separation of church in the Constitution..."

Del. Dwyer sits on Maryland's House Judiciary Committee.

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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