Delaware Governor Jack Markell on
Friday said gay marriage in his state is inevitable.
In an interview with Reuters Insider
TV, Markell said he expects that lawmakers in Delaware will debate a
gay marriage bill “probably within the next few years.”
The 51-year-old Democratic governor
last year called on lawmakers to approve a bill that recognizes gay
and lesbian couples with civil unions, which he signed into law.
“I think it's inevitable,” he said
of marriage equality in Delaware.
Markell's comments come a day after
Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley signed a gay marriage bill approved
by lawmakers into law, making Maryland
the eighth state to legalize gay nuptials.
Maryland's law will go into effect in
January 2013 unless opponents repeal it at the ballot box in
November.
Washington state will also join
Massachusetts, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York
and the District of Columbia in allowing gay couples to marry this
June. However, opponents have vowed to block the law's start by
qualifying for a referendum.
New Jersey lawmakers also approved a
gay marriage bill last month, but Governor Chris Christie vetoed the
legislation.
(Related: Chris
Christie insists gay marriage is not about rights.)