Politics & Opinion
News From The Statehouse: The Gay Marriage Debate Continues |
|
Wednesday, 08 February 2012 10:12
By Tony McConkey, Delegate, District 33A
The battle over marriage in Maryland is once again dominating your state capitol. However, the high anxiety of last year has been replaced by more subtle, persistent efforts and maneuvering on both sides.
Caught largely by surprise in last session’s near loss, traditional marriage defenders are better organized this year. They kicked off the public debate with a very well-attended and passionate rally at the statehouse. Out in front were several very enthusiastic Democrat lawmakers who spoke to a diverse crowd of differing races, religions, and ages.The next day the proposed law to legalize same-sex marriage, Senate Bill 241, was presented for the first time in the Senate. The full hearing can be viewed on the General Assembly website at http://mlis.state.md.us/.
The bill has several advantages over last year’s version. Chief among them, it now has the full backing of the Governor and is a priority of his administration, whereas in his two elections for the office, and the efforts last year, the Governor did not support same-sex marriage. New religious protections have won over some in the faith community because they would protect churches from having to perform same-sex ceremonies.
Other factors make passage this year less likely. Opponents are not only better organized, but last year’s defeat of the measure has encouraged more opponents to come forward. Also, many legislators have built up resentment over the arm twisting and heavy-handed tactics of last year, made worse by the First Lady’s recent comments calling them cowards.
Also hurting passage is another year’s experience with the implementation of same-sex marriage in other jurisdictions. Responses by government and the courts in working through the new laws are changing the minds of many Marylanders.
The aggressive promotion of the new “normal” has been championed in California and Massachusetts school curriculums, promoting the gay lifestyle in elementary schools. Children are instructed that sexual relations between any two people are equally acceptable and educated as to how all combinations work. Over and over, where same-sex marriage is legal, the courts are proving intolerant of any church, business, or individual who seeks to promote a traditional lifestyle, and the traditional family with a preference for children to be raised by both a mother and a father.
The claim that the same-sex marriage bill is only about the civil rights of consenting adults is not true. It will dramatically change the customs and morality of our society and will affect our children by altering what is taught in our schools. Please help me in defeating this bill.
If I can provide you more information on this or any other topic, please contact my office at 410-841-3406 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Comments (2)
...
the courts are proving intolerant of any church, business, or individual who seeks to promote a traditional lifestyle, and the traditional family with a preference for children to be raised by both a mother and a father.
Sir: You offer these two dramatic facts at the end of your article to support your conclusion that
[Gay marriage] will dramatically change the customs and morality of our society and will affect our children by altering what is taught in our schools.
And yet you provide no proof to support your claims. Is there evidence of "same-sex sex ed" in schools? Is there evidence of the intolerance of courts?
Simply saying it does not make it so, nor does repeating it without checking if it's true.
I will argue that the new "normal" being championed amongst liberals AND conservatives is a complete disregard for TRUTH and FACTS when pushing an idealogical agenda.
Unless you can provide evidence of your claims I will be forced to include you in that group of liars who think it's OK to lie because their cause is just.
...
