Maryland votes to legalise gay marriage

Maryland is set to become the 8th state in America to legalise gay marriage as Democratic Governor Martin O’Malley is to sign the equal marriage bill into law.

The equal marriage bill was narrowly passed, last week, by the Maryland senate with 25 votes in favour and 22 votes opposing. The bill also only narrowly passed in the House of Delegates although with a slightly larger margin of 71 votes to 67 votes. Martin O’Malley has now signed the bill into law, which will come into effect from next year, remarking ‘We are one Maryland and all of us, at the end of the day, want the same thing for our children. We want them to live in a loving, caring and committed home that is protected equally under the law’

Opponents of gay marriage are trying to trigger a referendum on the issue, similar to Proposition 8 in California. They need 50,000 signatures to trigger a referendum which could result in the bill being declared void. Proposition 8, which  outlawed gay marriage in California, has twice been declared unconstitutional.

Earlier this year the state of Washington voted to legalise gay marriage and New Jersey as well although there the governor has stated his opposition to same-sex marriages and so it is unlikely to be passed into law. Other states in America where gay marriage has already been legalised include New York, Iowa, New Hampshire and Connecticut. {jcomments off}