Maryland and New Mexico: Moving Toward Undoing Injustice

Maryland and New Mexico are on the verge of doing what is right: moving toward making it possible for all gays and lesbians to have the right to have a civil union, which inevitably must move toward marriage.

In the state of Maryland, the bill allows for civil marriage, but rightly does not expect religious institutions or communities of faith under a legal mandate to provide marriage ceremonies for all, thus securing the separation of "Church and state." Click link here for the Advocate site.

In the state of New Mexico, the House of Representatives have approved a bill for domestic partnership, though it has been voted down in the Senate before. I did like this quote from the Advocate article:

"Is this bill contrary to God, contrary to marriage?" asked Rep. Antonio "Moe" Maestas, an Albuquerque Democrat, as quoted by the Sun-News. "And the answer is no. Not a single married couple in this state will get divorced because of this bill. Not a single couple that is engaged ... will cancel that wedding as a result of this bill. Not a single straight person will become gay as a result of this bill."

Click here to the link.

So let's see: those state permitting, allowing, giving rights to gay and lesbian couples domestic partnership benefits, civil unions, or marriage includes Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey...and we're counting.

The momentum toward justice for those of us who are gay parents in committed relationships is coming quickly, given how long some things change in any society.

Peace,

Brett