The Maryland chapter of the AFL-CIO
labor union has endorsed an effort to legalize gay marriage in the
state, The
Baltimore Sun reported.
The 300,000-member union approved last
month a resolution in support of the soon-to-be introduced
legislation. The group will announce details at a press conference
to be held on Thursday.
Smaller unions have already joined the
coalition of groups lobbying for the bill's passage.
A gay marriage bill ran aground last
year in the House of Delegates after it narrowly cleared the Senate.
Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley has
pledged to shepherd the bill through the Legislature during the
upcoming legislative session, which opens next week.
Opponents of marriage equality have
formed the Maryland Marriage Alliance to lobby against passage of the
bill. The coalition is supported by the Maryland Catholic Conference
and the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), two groups which
strongly opposed the legislation last year.
Lawmakers in nearby New York approved a
gay marriage bill since Maryland's defeat last spring, possibly
boosting the bill's chances of passage this year.
(Related: Gov.
Chris Gregoire to introduce gay marriage bill in Washington State.)