Opponents of Maryland's gay marriage
law plan on Tuesday to deliver the first batch of petitions needed to
put the law up to a popular vote.
“The reality is there is incredible
excitement out there,” Pastor Derek McCoy, executive director of
the Maryland Marriage Alliance, which is leading the effort to force
a November vote on the law, told The
Baltimore Sun. “I don't think there is anything that has
hit Maryland like this in years.”
Opponents have until Thursday to turn
in one-third (18,579) of the 55,736 valid voter signatures needed to
secure a slot on this year's ballot. The remaining signatures are
due by June 30.
The legislation, which was heavily
championed by Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley, passed the General
Assembly in March but won't go into effect until January.
“We're going to put this thing to
rest,” Delegate Emmett C. Burns Jr, a Baltimore County Democrat,
told The
Washington Times. “Once it's put to rest, these
politicians who are coming out in favor of this are going to be
debunked and embarrassed.”
A
survey released by Public Policy Polling shows the marriage law
has benefited from President Obama's recent endorsement. According
to the poll, support has increased 5 points since March to 57
percent.
“People's opinions are evolving as
there's a larger community discussion of this,” said Delegate
Heather R. Mizeur, who is openly gay. “When people see an issue in
the news and talk about it at their kitchen tables, they are better
able to wrestle with the issue at hand.”