Wednesday, November 07, 2012

Marriage Equality Approved In Maine and Maryland



LGBT history was made last night when voters in Maine and Maryland voted to approve marriage equality at the ballot box for the first time in history.
Question 1 Results in Maine:      312,021 (53%)   YES  to  272,613 (47%) NO
Question 6 Results in Maryland1,208,068 (52%) YES to 1,112,998 (48%) NO
The victory in Maine was particularly sweet since in November 2009 a referendum on that state's enacted marriage law was rejected by a vote of 53% to 47%.

The victory in Maryland was even more exciting because there had been numerous questions raised about the way the campaign was run with Freedom to Marry, the primary organization in charge of the campaign to win marriage equality nationwide, initially refused to engage in the battle in the state. However, as polls consistently showed that Maryland's Question 6 was ahead (albeit far less ahead than Maine's Question 1) the LGBT activist community coalesced around Maryland and important high-profile donations from billionaires raised the profile of Maryland's attempt to make history.

With wins in Maine and Maryland there are now 8 states in which marriage equality is legal (or will be soon). Marriage is also legal in the District of Columbia and there are nearly 18,000 married same-sex couples in California and there may be many more married lesbian and gay couples soon depending on the Supreme Court's decision to take up the Proposition 8 appeal.

Hat/tip to Joe.My.God

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