“Today the state Senate recognized the simple truth that recognizing the love and commitment of same-sex couples under state law will strengthen families and communities,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “This is a matter of fairness and equality and will put Maryland on the leading edge of giving loving same-sex couples the rights, responsibilities, benefits, and dignity that marriage entails, as have five other states and the District of Columbia. We thank Equality Maryland for their hard work in gaining marriage equality and the thousands of HRC members across Maryland who spoke up for fairness.”
"Loving, committed couples in Maryland are a step closer to being able to better care for and protect themselves and their families thanks to today's vote by the state Senate. We're talking about people who simply want to have access to responsibilities, rights and protections already available to many others. We thank Equality Maryland for its leadership on this issue, as well as the senators who recognized our common humanity and stood for fairness today. We urge members of the House of Delegates to do the same," said Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
