Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk
believes Maryland gay couples already receive benefits similar to
marriage.
The 36-year-old Birk made his comments
in a video for the Maryland Marriage Alliance, the primary group
working to defeat at the polls this November a gay marriage law
approved by lawmakers.
In the 30-second ad, Birk says marriage
is the foundation of society and children.
“Marriage is more than what adults
want for themselves. It is also about the next generation. Marriage
is and should remain between a man and a woman,” Birk says.
“Gay and lesbian couples already
receive benefits in Maryland, like hospital visitation, state health
benefits, and tax breaks. We don't need to redefine marriage,” he
adds. (The video is embedded on this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
Birk also recorded a video for the
Minnesota Catholic Conference in support of Minnesota's proposed gay
marriage ban. In the video, he says he supports the amendment
because marriage
equality would hurt children.
Teammate Brendon Ayanbadejo, a
proponent of gay nuptials, tweeted support for Birk, saying that
he has a right to his opinion.
“Matt Birk is an amazing father,
teammate, man! Even if he & I disagree on marriage equality we
agree on 95% of other issue,” he said. “I don't think he's
homophobic at all.”