Delaware Governor Jack Markell has said
he expects the state will consider legalizing gay marriage next year.
“I think it probably will,” Markell
told The Huffington Post's
Amanda Terkel and Sam Stein.
The Democratic
governor strongly supported last year's effort legalizing civil
unions in the state. Markell said he was willing to offer similar
support for a gay marriage bill before praising the contributions of
Equality Delaware, a group which formed specifically to lobby in
favor of civil unions.
“I think it's
always important to have gubernatorial leadership, but the other
thing it's very helpful to have – the real hero of getting civil
unions done [in Delaware] – was not me,” he said. “The real
hero and heroine were a couple of people who led a group called
Equality Delaware.”
“The grassroots
efforts can be so powerful. So there was a group of people – many
of them gay or lesbian but many of them not – who lobbied the heck
out of this and they did it all over the state,” said
Markell. “I think having that group of people who were willing
to work very very hard with my support is what it will take.”
Other states where
marriage equality could be on the legislative agenda next year
include Illinois
and Rhode
Island.