|
The Gazette Fervor moved speakers at Thursday's anti-gay-marriage rally on Lawyers Mall. African-American preachers, Catholic congregants, lawmakers, mothers with children and busloads from around the state chanted, stomped and prayed during the two-hour rally, which mixed bipartisan religious fervor with political power.
ANNAPOLIS -- Gay marriage is one of the hottest of the hot-button social issues, but Maryland's top politicians are treating it like the proverbial hot potato. It became clear Thursday why the issue has become so politically explosive, as roughly 1,000 people demonstrated here in frigid weather for an amendment to the state constitution banning gay marriage. African-American preachers, Catholic congregants, lawmakers, mothers with children and busloads from around the state chanted, stomped and prayed during the two-hour rally that mixed bipartisan religious fervor with political power on Lawyers Mall, just outside the governor's mansion and the State House. For Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R), who has approached the issue gingerly, gay marriage holds the potential for political gain and pain. Ehrlich, who is pro-choice, has generally avoided conservative Republican social issues such as abortion. Characterizing himself as from the libertarian wing of the party, he has backed away from issues not always popular with conservatives, such as medical marijuana. Ehrlich only mentions his opposition to gay marriage in response to reporters' questions and is not pushing the constitutional amendment this year, although his aides have hinted at doing so next year. He did not attend the rally, which began shortly after his State of the State speech. Kevin Igoe, a Republican strategist, said Ehrlich is playing smart politics by keeping the gay marriage debate at arms-length. "The reality is I don't think anything is going to happen in either direction on this issue, so it wouldn't make any sense for the governor to spend political capital on it," Igoe said. Top Democrats do not seem to want to touch the subject, either. Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan was one of several Democrats interviewed Thursday to cling to the phrase "marriage is between a man and a woman" while saying they see no need for a constitutional amendment. House Speaker Michael E. Busch, who opposes gay marriage but has backed additional rights for gay couples, agreed. "Maryland law is pretty clear. Marriage is between a man and a woman, and I support that, and I don't see that issue changing," he said. Busch added he does not see a need to act unless the courts see otherwise. "If the courts don't act, there is no need to make a change," said Busch (D-Dist. 30) of Annapolis. "Let it play out." But whether the two parties' leaders want it or not, activists on both sides of the gay rights divide intend to force the issue. "We believe the time is right to bring this issue back and let the citizens of Maryland decide this once and for all," said Del. Donald H. Dwyer (R-Dist. 31) of Glen Burnie, one of the leaders of the rally. "We will not stand any longer for moral depravity." Del. Herbert H. McMillan (R-Dist. 30) of Annapolis said that he respects gay couples' right to live together, but said they "do not have the right to redefine marriage to fit their lifestyle. When anyone can be married to anyone else, no one is really married at all." Del. Charles R. Boutin (R-Dist. 34A) of Aberdeen, who sponsored the amendment last year, accused the Democratic leadership of quashing it in committee. "They know the votes are there to send this to the people," he said. Backers, meanwhile, reject the idea that lawmakers can wait until the courts decide the issue. A lawsuit filed last year by the ACLU challenges the constitutionality of the state law banning gay marriage. Unless a constitutional amendment is passed, Maryland could end up like Massachusetts, with gay marriages ordered by the courts and the legislature scrambling to amend the state's constitution after the fact, amendment backers argue. Gay rights advocates, meanwhile, are pushing legislation of their own, bringing back attempts to give gay couples medical decision-making rights and including attacks on gays in the state's hate crimes law. More than 40 clergy members denounced the anti-gay marriage rally at a news conference of their own on Thursday, and gay rights group Equality Maryland plans a rally of its own on Valentine's Day. "The medical decision-making act will be back and we'll be pushing it," said Del. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (D-Dist. 18) of Kensington, one of three openly gay members of the legislature. The bill died in the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee last year by a single vote but a committee shakeup has advocates hopeful for passage. Madaleno said he is still hopeful of advancing a gay rights agenda although gay marriage in particular was dealt setbacks at the ballot box in 11 states in November, pointing to successes for advances for limited gay rights measures even in conservative states such as Utah. Madaleno said the issue poses a dilemma for Ehrlich, pointing to William Safire's definition of the Republican Party's two wings, one "righteous" and one "reasonable." "Bob Ehrlich throughout his career has sold himself as a reasonable Republican, as a middle-of-the-road guy," he said. "The political problem the governor has is how does he, or does he, even try to energize that 'righteous wing' in Maryland in a way that the president thought to do and succeeded in doing in the last election, with his self-professed stand as being pro-choice? ... "Does this become the issue where he appeals to the right wing, or does he stay true to his reasonable values by saying, 'I oppose marriage equality for gay people but I'm not going to support the dramatic step of amending the constitution, forever denying gay people their marriage rights'?" Madaleno warned that while the governor may reap some political benefits if he jumps on the issue, he also faces pitfalls, pointing to "Morella Republicans" in Montgomery and Howard counties who might abandon him. He added that there is "an influential gay Republican community in this state that worked hard on his election. What happens to those people if Ehrlich comes out in support of a constitutional amendment?" Staff Writer Thomas Dennison contributed to this report. |
