For Immediate Release
November 7, 2012
Contact:
Carrie Evans, Executive Director (m) 443-514-4999
Organization Elated That Same-Sex Couples Have the Protections of Marriage
Baltimore – Today the majority of Maryland voters upheld The Civil Marriage Protection Act. In response to this historic moment, Equality Maryland Board President David Lublin and Executive Director Carrie Evans made the following statements:
David Lublin
“Tonight the citizens of Maryland made history by voting to uphold the Civil Marriage Protection Act. By allowing same-sex couples the freedom to marry, Maryland becomes the first state in the United States to approve marriage equality in a popular vote,” Lublin said. “Maryland once again upholds is nickname as the Free State – where citizens are free to love regardless of gender or sexual orientation.”
Carrie Evans
“With this vote, Marylanders rose up and declared that that every family deserves to be treated equally under the law,” Evans said. “Voters from every corner of the state, from every political persuasion, every race and every religion voted for marriage equality.”
“This campaign started in 2004 when LGBT couples sued for the right to marry. We lost that legal battle, but eight years later we won the support of the General Assembly and of the majority of Maryland voters.”
“This victory is a testament to the power of broad coalitions and thousands of supporters. With scores of religious and faith, civic, political, labor, business and civil rights organizations working together, we were able to appeal to the hearts and minds of Marylanders and achieve victory. A special thanks needs to be given to the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland (ACLU-MD), the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) for their immense contributions to the campaign. Their support was instrumental to ensuring that we had a winning campaign. Equality Maryland applauds the thousands of supporters whose tenacity over the years and months is a testament to the ability of like-minded people to create social change. “
“And throughout this campaign, we have been fortunate to have Governor O’Malley as our leader, championing our cause here at home and across the country. The Governor helped lead the Civil Marriage Protection Act through the General Assembly and remained our top supporter during this referendum campaign. His passion for fairness never wavered and he worked as hard as any paid staff or volunteers on ensuring Question 6 won.”