The National Organization for Marriage
(NOM) is calling on the Maryland Senate to reject a gay marriage bill
approved Friday by the House of Delegates.
After nearly 3 hours of debate, House
members approved Governor Martin O'Malley's plan to make Maryland the
eighth state to legalize gay marriage with a narrow 72 to 67 vote.
Supporters faced their greatest
obstacle in the House, where Democratic leaders last year shelved a
vote due to lack of support.
The Senate, whose composition has not
changed, last year approved the bill.
NOM, the nation's most vociferous
opponent of gay marriage, vowed retribution against lawmakers who
vote for the legislation.
“The people of Maryland do not
support same-sex marriage,” said NOM President Brian Brown in a
statement. “We call on the Maryland Senate to reject this
legislation. Failing that, we are committed to work with allies to
ensure that the people of Maryland will decide this issue just as
voters in 31 other states have done, which is to preserve marriage as
the union of one man and one woman.”
“Legislators who vote to redefine
marriage will be held accountable to their constituents. Those
Republicans in the Assembly who abandoned principle and traded their
votes will be held to account. Upwards of 80% of Republican voters
oppose same-sex marriage. Democrats, too, will have to answer to
their constituents, including the upwards of 70% of African-Americans
who oppose redefining marriage.”
According to a The Washington Post
poll conducted in September, Marylanders who vote regularly are
evenly split on the issue, with 49 percent opposed and 48 percent in
favor.