Delegate: Maryland Must Ensure Marriage Equality

Last Tuesday, hundreds descended on Annapolis for a hearing on a bill before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee that would extend equal marriage rights to same-sex couples. Amongst those was Chrys Kefalas—former Deputy Legal Counsel to Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich.

Mr. Kefalas spoke bravely about his struggle with his identity, a struggle that almost ended with him taking his own life. He also eloquently urged the committee to consider the following: “…favorable action on this bill  (SB-116) will begin to peel away centuries of unjust treatment on the basis of something as essential to our existence as our gender, as our ethnicity, and as our race.”

Indeed, our gay sons and daughters are born into this world without a choice regarding their sexual orientation. They are born gay or straight just like they are born with brown or blond hair, with blue or green eyes, with dark or light skin.

In 1967, when the Supreme Court ruled, in Loving vs. Virginia, to end all race-based marriage restrictions, they wrote: marriage has “…long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men … one of the ‘basic civil rights of man,’ fundamental to our very existence and survival.”

With this in mind, I’m not surprised that the majority of my constituent correspondence over the past month has concerned extending marriage rights to gays and lesbians. Because, for many of us, marriage is the most important decision we’ll make; so fundamental to our being that our opinions on marriage equality are often deeply rooted in our understanding of who we are as individuals.

Hence, to some, what may seem as altering the foundation on which family values are built is fearsome. And to those that view marriage as a fundamental, unalienable right—a right that should be an option for all Americans regardless of sexual orientation—refusing to allow same-sex couples to marry is equally terrifying. It scares us because it runs counter to one our most personal patriotic duties: to instill in our children the understanding that here, in the United States, all men and women are created equal; that others who may seem unlike us, are indeed just like us.  

In passing a marriage equality bill not only would this message be sent, but also one emphasizing that our society views marriage as a bond wholly important to family and community life, a right that must be granted to all. Thus, it’s clear that this measure seeks to strengthen marriage as an institution in this country, not weaken it.

Further, as Chrys Kefalas’s testimony exhibited, marriage equality is not a political, partisan matter; it’s a civil rights issue. It’s not Democratic or Republican to be for the right to pursue happiness; it’s American. And how could one ever fully exercise this right without being allowed to marry the one they love?

I must say I feel honored that in my first year representing District 39 I may have an opportunity to stand on the floor of the House of Delegates and vote for a bill that would extend equal marriage rights to same-sex couples. The time has come for Maryland to join the other states that have taken a lead on this issue. The time has come to treat all citizens equally under the law.

Shane Robinson is a freshman delegate for Maryland's District 39, which covers Montgomery Village, Washington Grove and parts of Germantown, North Potomac and unincorporated Gaithersburg.