Senators Jamie Raskin and Richard Madaleno have introduced into the Maryland Senate the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, as have a number of delegates (SB 290/HB 351). This bill would codify what is already settled constitutional law: the right of a religious institution not to participate in any marriage or other religious ceremony; equally importantly, it will reverse the Maryland statutes barring the marriage of same-sex couples and allow them to marry under the same terms as opposite-sex couples.
This will be a tough sell, but here's how you can help - NOW.
For non-Marylanders, Maryland is a strange blue state but not an evenly blue one. All states have geographical diversity, even tiny Rhode Island, but Maryland's geography and history lead Marylanders to identify much more strongly with their locality, their county or region, than with the state. Most of the state lives within 30 minutes of the state line and ALL of the state lives within 45-50 minutes of the state line; this is not true in most of the South, in Texas, in California. Much of the state commutes out of state for work, accordingly, particularly in the wealthy DC suburbs of Montgomery and Prince George's Counties.
Within our small, oddly-stretched land area lie very diverse cultures. Yes, yes, it's true in Pennsylvania and California and Kansas too, but it's much more striking here. Most political, economic, sociological or demographic maps of the state look like really bad acid trips, and Picasso-esque gerrymandering here is almost a science into itself. The result of this is that you are better off thinking of Maryland as eight states united by a tax form: Montgomery County, Prince George's County, Southern Maryland, Western Maryland, Eastern Shore, Baltimore City, suburban Baltimore ("the County") and ex-urban Baltimore (e.g. Harford County and elsewhere).
Maryland has 47 Senators and 141 delegates, three delegates for each Senator elected usually at large but not always. The two chief sponsors in the Maryland Senate are from adjacent southern Montgomery County districts, very wealthy and sapphire-blue Districts 18 and 20 bordering DC on Western and Eastern Avenues. The newly elected Senator Raskin is the
Director of the Law and Government Program of American University's law school and, like Barack Obama, a former President of the Harvard Law Review; newly and overwhelmingly elected Senator Madaleno is the Senate's black belt ass-kicker on budgetary matters and procedure, active in his Unitarian church and is in a committed, publicly acknowledged relationship with his life partner. These are very good men, very good Senators but their two districts look NOTHING like the ones whose Senators need to move to get this bill passed and signed. Ditto re: the Delegates.
Some of Maryland will be a hell-hole for this legislation. Ex-urban Baltimore has a lot of Christian conservatives for whom killing this legislation may become a lesser jihad, er, crusade, er, stupid quest. One infamous delegate, theocratic bully and Hawaiian shirt aficionado Delegate Don Dwyer, called for the impeachment of a trial judge who ruled in favor of a number of same-sex couples seeking to marry, said case falling sadly in a 4-3 decision (WARNING: large opinion file) late last year. Many less obnoxious but still problematic opponents of same-sex civil marriage will try to be the ones to kill this, nicely.
Even closer in Baltimore, there are elected Democrats from liberal districts who cannot bring themselves to support this. Maryland's large African-American community is torn on this matter, with leading Black legislators taking strong positions sponsoring or condemning this proposed legislation. A lot of Catholic elected officials can expect to get lobbied and whipped by both a dozen people from their parishes AND possibly by the Archbishop himself; there is precedent for the Archbishop showing up in Annapolis to help guide the faithful in other matters. It's hard for such officials to avoid caving unless the mail from the district is solid; we need to be their backbone.
OK, here's where Kossacks come in, whether you are in Maryland or not.
If you are in Maryland, you should of course find out who your Delegates and Senators are if you don't know. Maybe you know, maybe you don't. Here's an extremely cool map gadget from Maryland Elections to tell you:BIG BADASS COOL ELECTION GADGET. If this is for your friend, put your friend's address into the Gadget, and it will spit them out for you to give to her.
Here's a proposed letter/email to send to your friends to motivate them to help or to get their friends to help. Please feel free to copy, modify to conform with the truth in your case and distribute.
Dear Friends,
This is the last political spam you will ever get from me. Some of you are getting this because the subject matter of this bill might be of interest to you either here in Maryland or out-of-state. Some of you may have family, in-laws or friends here. A few of you have spammed me in the past yourselves;-) .
The issue of same-sex marriage directly affects my friends and members of my family. I don't want the government to treat [my cousin, the good men in my own wedding party, my long-time friends, fill in the blank], like second class citizens.
On the other hand, I don't want my friends' religious institutions or consciences to be pressed by the government into a breach of their own faith, morals or integrity.
The issue is all about integrity - integrity and honesty, living in the real world rather than a fake one, all of us living as equal citizens instead of having the clerk of court's door slamming shut on their - our - fingers.
That's why I am urging friends to learn more about the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act (Senate Bill 290 /House Bill 351). I hope that friends will give a brief call to their representatives or forward this email to their Maryland friends.
Some say that opening the courthouse door to same-sex couples will "end marriage," that same-sex marriage will "destroy marriage.". This is foolishness. If straight married couples are having a hard time keeping a successful marriage, it's not because Harry and Jack or Linda and Margaret are also hoping to have a successful marriage in the next neighborhood or Zip Code.
Please learn about Senate Bill 290 /House Bill 351 and urge its passage here in Maryland. This well-drafted bill will protect firmly what's already the law: churches and synagogues are free to bar their front door strictly shut to same-sex couples according to their conscience. But let the courthouse door be opened wide to all of us, finally, in our fair and free state.
You will get no more spam from me unless you request it. Promise. And thank you.
Best,
[You]
Here's a letter I proposed in humor to send to delegates and senators; while this is a joke, its style may stimulate a more serious or moderate effort:
Dear Senator Eventone:
I write as a married straight American with two kids who pays property taxes in your district and is a proud patriot.
I am very focused on this same-sex marriage issue. I care very much about family values, and resent those anti-Americans who are willing to damage American families for their partisan political gain and special interests. Those who would make a mockery of the commitment that it takes to be a family, to teach children decent values and to protect them from harm are no friends of mine.
That's why I respectfully urge you to vote YES on the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act of 2008 that will make it clear that while of course the state should recognize same-sex marriage in its civil ceremonies, my church and all churches need only follow their respective consciences. We are Unitarians, and we are commanded by the morals of our community to give full recognition of the love and commitment shared by same-sex couples who make a commitment in our church. We don't want the government undercutting us in the practice of our faith and morals, just because other churches (synagogues, etc.) have their own views.
We want same-sex couples to be bound by law and full legal protection for the order and stability of their families and the protection of the morality of their children. Maybe other religious communities think that such commitments are not true commitments, but we reject such chaotic lawlessness, such feckless disregard of what it means to make such a holy, sanctified commitment. We ask that the State stop cutting our community and its faithful, loving couples off at the knees through its discriminatory and disorderly rendering asunder what our faith says G-d hath joined!
I want my children to grow up knowing that their State respects family values, and wants more families, not fewer, protected by law. I don't want them looking at their Uncle Stan and Uncle Bart as "less than" Daddy and Mommy. May I respectfully enlist your support in my efforts to raise my children in my faith, and to stand up for the freedom, dignity and responsibility of all of us?
Patriotically and heterosexually yours,
Hank "Kill-A-Commie" O'Scanlon
Retired, USMC
You get the idea. The goal is to explain the simple apple pie truth: that standing up for marriage means facilitating marriage, not fucking killing it and slamming the courthouse door on citizens' fingers. Delegates and Senators need to know that same-sex couples are YOUR FAMILY which means that you will not easily forgive them if they f*** your family over, and that you will remember.
In the past, I have been Equality Maryland's severe local blogospheric critic for some misplays that I perceived it to have made in the 2006 endorsement season, but Dan Furmansky at EM seems to be working this one like a champ. We should show support and solidarity with him. Similarly, those who want to follow blogospheric activity can take a look at this mediocre liberal blog or this much more interesting progressive Scoop-based site here in Maryland.
Thanks very much for your help.