Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley will
be honored at a gay marriage fundraiser.
The Wednesday night event at the Jane
E. Lawton Center in Chevy Chase is being organized by Equality
Maryland, the state's largest gay rights group. Tickets
to the event are $50.
In July, after New York became the
sixth state to legalize gay marriage, O'Malley announced he would
sponsor a gay marriage bill during the upcoming legislative session,
which begins in January.
The 48-year-old Democratic governor
backed an earlier effort this year which ended without a vote in the
House of Delegates after passage in the Senate. While O'Malley
pledged to sign the bill into law, he kept a low profile as lawmakers
debated the bill, saying only that he backed civil unions for gay and
lesbian couples.
Also being recognized for their support
are Maryland Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown, Attorney General Doug
Gansler, Comptroller Pete Franchot and Howard County Executive Ken
Ulman.
The fundraiser will include champagne
and wedding cake, the Associated Press reported.
(Related: Martin
O'Malley on gay marriage bill: I think it should pass.)