Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley told
gay marriage backers on Wednesday that the issue is about equal
rights.
O'Malley, Lt. Governor Anthony Brown
and Attorney General Doug Gansler were recognized for their support
by Equality Maryland, the state's largest gay rights group, during a
fundraiser at the Jane E. Lawton Center in Chevy Chase.
In July, after New York became the
sixth state to legalize gay marriage, O'Malley announced he would
sponsor a gay marriage bill during the upcoming legislative session,
which begins in January.
“This is about making sure that every
family in Maryland is able to raise their children in a loving and
stable home, a home that is respected equally under the law,”
O'Malley said, the AP reported.
The 48-year-old Democratic governor
backed an earlier effort this year which stalled out in the House of
Delegates after passage in the Senate. While O'Malley pledged to
sign the bill into law, he kept a low profile as lawmakers debated
the bill, saying only that he backed civil unions for gay and lesbian
couples.
Brown and Gansler told attendees to
prepare for a protracted political fight that might continue after
the bill becomes law.
“It's not a done deal,” Gansler, a
Democrat, said. “We need to work hard, but I'm confident that will
happen.”