Gay marriage supporters in Delaware
believe lawmakers will approve a marriage law this year.
Lisa Goodman, president of Equality
Delaware, the group which won passage of the state's civil unions law
in 2011, told The News Journal that the time was right for
marriage.
“We believe 2013 is the right time
for marriage [equality] in Delaware,” Goodman said.
Delaware is among a handful of states
expected to debate the issue this year. All of the states
considering expanding marriage rights, with the exception of
Minnesota, currently recognize gay and lesbian couples with civil
unions. Included are Illinois, Rhode Island, Hawaii and New Jersey.
Colorado is expected to approve civil unions, while Wyoming
is considering domestic partnerships.
Nicole Theis of the Delaware Family
Policy Council, which opposed passage of the civil unions law, said
the aim of civil unions proponents was always marriage.
“The Delaware civil unions law is the
most comprehensive in the nation,” she
said. “It's literally identical to the Delaware marriage law.”
“But the goal here was never civil
unions. It has always been to redefine marriage. We completely
expected this would happen.”
“Those who want to redefine
[marriage] want government to define what marriage is,” Theis
added. “Then, in order for marriage to be equal it needs to be
genderless. And genderless marriage automatically deprives a child
of a loving mother or father and says either a mother or father is
disposable in a child's life.”
Democratic Governor Jack Markell has
publicly supported marriage equality.
Equality Delaware will hold its first
meeting on the issue Wednesday night at First Central Presbyterian
Church in Wilmington.