“Despite the cheers and celebrations, legislation does not automatically mean implementation of gay nuptials. The law will likely be petitioned to referendum and voters will have their say by the end of the year.”

Why do people care? It doesn’t directly affect them so why get in the way of someone else?

Good on them.

Well done!

There should be a seperate planet for bigots like yourself.

This is wonderful news!

Be interesting to see if this will be able to pass a referendum. Maryland is 30% African American who overwhelming vote Democrat and would normally be expected to back Democratic issues but they are one of the groups where large numbers oppose gay marriage. The Republicans along with the African Americans might be enough to stop it from passing.

Maryland is a state, that’s news to me, thanks journal!

As for gay marriage?
Yeah it’s all good, doesn’t bother or effect me in anyway, why should I care?

Great news and another victory for equality (coming hot on the heels of the likes of New York and Washington) that reflects the growing momentum towards marriage equality in the US itself and the west more generally…This will not even be an issue in coming years, except for a small core of religious extremists angry and frustrated at their inability to impose their outdated and theocratic views on modern societies.

Marriage has always been the state recognised institutional bond between male and female, mostly for the raising of children. Making it a bond between people of the same sex creates a new institution, so much so that the previous institution no longer exists. So no matter what these new laws say it is, it is not marriage, for people of the opposite sex and for people of the same sex it becomes merely a civil partnership masquerading as marriage.

Am I alone in the world in finding the whole concept of gay marriage just mind-bendingly odd?
Before the PC brigade hunt me down and browbeat me to death-I fully support civil unions/partnerships. If 2 people love each other and want to be together for life, they are being perfectly reasonable to expect that their rights to inheritance etc be the exact same across the board regardless of their sexuality.
I promise you. . . . . I GET that bit ok!
What puzzles me is why anyone would want to label their relationship in such a way as to identify it with a religion that explicitly condemns such relationships.
That bit has me stumped.

Gay marriage is wrong and will never be anything different weather here,America or even the moon…
So let the hetero-bashing commence.

Sad day for Maryland
Will definitely not pass a referendum
However, as in California and Ireland, the will of the majority in a referendum will mean nothing to the authorities.