Maryland Governor O'Malley to Sign Marriage Equality Bill Today

Governor Martin O'Malley will make Maryland the eighth state to legalize same-sex marriage when he signs a marriage equality bill today, the Baltimore Sun reports:

Gov. Martin O'Malley is set for a victory lap today when he signs into law his hard fought measure to legalize same-sex marriage. The signing is set for 5 p.m. in the State House.

There will be waiting, however:

But even with the governor's signature, same-sex couples won't get Maryland marriage certificates until the law goes into effect in January 2013 -- at the earliest.

Fired-up opponents have pledged to collect 100,000 signatures opposing the bill by June 30 -- about twice what they would need to trigger a state-wide referendum on the topic. On Wednesday several powerful groups joined forces to accomplish that goal. Polls show that Marylanders are evenly split on the issue -- so there's no telling what will happen in November.

Maryland Governor to Sign Marriage Equality Bill on Thursday

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley will make Maryland the eighth state to recognize same-sex marriage this Thursday, the AP reports:

The governor is scheduled to sign the legislation in a 5 p.m. ceremony Thursday, making Maryland the eighth state to legalize same-sex unions.

Said O'Malley after last week's Senate passage: "All children deserve the opportunity to live in a loving, caring, committed, and stable home, protected equally under the law. The common thread running through our efforts together in Maryland is the thread of human dignity; the dignity of work, the dignity of faith, the dignity of family, the dignity of every individual. Thanks to our elected leaders, clergy and faith-based leaders, community leaders, civic organizations, civil rights groups, and citizens from across our state, Maryland will now be able to protect individual civil marriage rights and religious freedom equally."

On Friday, Delegate Neil Parrott filed paperwork on behalf of opponents to bring the measure to a voter referendum. Opponents must collect 55,736 signatures to get it on the November ballot. Parrot promised to double that number.

Maryland Governor O'Malley Says House Still Short on Marriage Equality Votes: VIDEO

At a rally last night before an evening of lobbying lawmakers, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley told marriage equality supporters they still need a few votes in the House to pass the measure.

The AP reports:

Gov. Martin O’Malley, who spoke to the crowd of hundreds, said he still needs to collect the votes of “a couple” of lawmakers in order to move the bill through the House of Delegates.

“We need a couple more votes and people always make their decisions against deadlines,” O’Malley told reporters after the rally. “The bill has been heard in the House and is likely to move.”

The governor said he didn’t want to make any presumptions about when the bill could come before the full chamber, but said he expects it could move out of committee as early as this week.

Watch a WJZ report on the rally, AFTER THE JUMP...

As Senate Panel Prepares for Hearing on Marriage Equality Bill, Anti-Gay Activists Mobilize for Rally

Anti-gay activists are mobilizing for a rally today opposing the marriage equality bill pending in the Maryland legislature, WMAL reports:

"Voting constituents across Maryland are coming in, in vans and busses to stand for the definition of marriage in Maryland state law," Derek McCoy of the Maryland Marriage Alliance told WMAL.com. "The governor's wife called anyone who stands up against same sex marriage cowards, which I think is appalling," he said. "No one ever said gay marriage is wrong.  I'm just standing for what the current definition of marriage is," said McCoy.

Maryland First Lady Katie O'Malley said she regretted her remarks on Friday. Her husband attempted to "wmooth over raw feelings" in a speech to the Creating Change NGLTF conference in Baltimore over the weekend, the AP reports:

O’Malley, a Democrat who has made same-sex marriage legislation a priority this year, closed out his remarks at the 24th National Conference on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality by underscoring the need for using compassionate rhetoric. The governor said it’s important not to let passionate views prompt people to use “words of hurt, rather than words of healing.”

“Laws matter, but words also matter, and if compassion and understanding and justice are what we want, then we must choose laws and we must choose words of compassion, understanding and of justice,” O’Malley said.

There is a Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee hearing on the marriage equality bill this Tuesday.

Attorney General Doug Gansler told a standing-room only crowd at a church in Frederick yesterday that he would be testifying, MetroWeekly reports:

Gansler called Maryland's current ban against same-sex marriage "unconstitutional." He then explained his reasoning for supporting equality for gay and lesbian couples. Gansler also offered his take on the nature of negative feedback from Republicans and religious leaders. And he predicted that the current marriage bill would pass but, he warned, supporters will need to make a significant effort to vote against an inevitable anti-gay referendum, saying: "That's where we're really going to need your help."

Maryland First Lady Katie O'Malley Apologizes for Labeling Marriage Equality Opponents 'Cowards'

Maryland's First Lady Katie O'Malley apologized today for remarks she made at NGLTF's 24th annual Creating change Conference on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality on Thursday night.

O'Malley was speaking about the marriage equality bill that failed to pass in Maryland last year, reportedly veering from prepared remarks to lash out at lawmakers who voted against it:

"There were some cowards that prevented it from passing."

Today, O'Malley said she "let my feelings get the better of me":

“I deeply respect that there are strongly held and differing views on marriage equality in Maryland but hope that our state’s elected officials will come together to fairly address this important issue for our families and children."

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, LGBT Advocates Introduce Marriage Equality Bill: VIDEO

After a breakfast meeting with LGBT advocates this morning at his residence, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley spoke to reporters about the marriage equality bill he officially introduced last night.

O'Malley stressed the religious protections in the bill:

"We have done our very best in the drafting of this bill to make very, very, very explicit the protections of religious liberty as well as the protection of rights equally under the law, and it’s my hope that that will not only allow more support in the House of Delegates but, as importantly, I hope it will allow more people throughout our state to be able to support this bill,. One does not have to be an advocate for same-sex marriage in order to support equal rights under the law.”

Watch O'Malley, Reverend Starlene Joyner Burns, President of Marylanders for Marriage Equality Ezekiel Jackson, gay couple Daryl Fields and O'Brien Banner, and Senator Richard Madaleno talk about the bill, AFTER THE JUMP...