Maryland Delegate Peter F. Murphy has
announced he's gay, increasing the number of openly gay delegates to
seven.
In
an interview with gay weekly the Washington Blade published
Wednesday, Murphy, a divorced father of two, denied he was
closeted.
“I have never denied [being gay],”
Murphy said, “I just presumed people knew.”
Murphy, however, was not one of the six
openly gay delegates signing onto a letter urging the House to
approve a gay marriage bill.
The letter, released over the weekend,
was signed by Democratic Delegates Luke Clippinger, Bonnie Cullison,
Anne Kaiser, Maggie McIntosh, Heather R. Mizeur and Mary Washington.
Debate
on the measure in the House began on Wednesday.
The 61-year-old lawmaker and
grandfather of two added that he would vote in favor of the bill.
“I think it's a strong civil rights
bill,” Murphy said. “I think it's a fair bill because it also
addresses the religious issue and doesn't require any religious
organization to practice something that goes against their
teachings.”
Senator Rich Madaleno is the Maryland
Senate's only openly gay member.