Maryland Pro-Question 6 Ads Released

The pro-Question 6 television advertisements in favor of marriage equality in Maryland that I have been blogging about this week will start airing on television tomorrow. They each feature an African-American minister, one named Rev. Dr. Delman Coates of Clinton, MD and the other is Rev. Donté Hickman of Baltimore, MD. The transcript of the ad was released by openly gay, African-American Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart in his Wednesday column:

As a Pastor, my support for Question Six is rooted in my belief that the government should treat everyone equally.

I would not want someone denying my rights based upon their religious views, therefore I should not deny others based upon mine.

It’s about fairness.

This law does not force any church to perform a same sex marriage if it’s against their beliefs.

And that’s what this is about.

Protecting religious freedom and protecting all Marylanders equally under the law.

Join me in voting for Question 6.

This seems like a pretty effective ad because it directly addresses the confused religious people who can't seem to understand that the fight around marriage equality is about civil marriage, and that to use one's religious belief to deny someone access to civil marriage is denying someone a right based upon a religious belief, which is precisely what religious people fear will happen to them.