Last week, Maryland Delegate Emmett Burns (pictured below) introduced legislation that would ban the recognition of same-sex marriages performed in other states and the District of Columbia, a neighbor of Maryland that recently passed same-sex marriage.

Delegate Burns submitted this bill in spite of the fact that Maryland’s Attorney General is researching the issue and that the Governor supports same-sex marriage recognition as long as it does not violate state law.  Based on the timing alone, it appears that Delegate Burns is trying to get the billed passed before the Attorney General returns his legal opinion, where any positive opinion would prevent enforcement.

The bill states that “marriages between individuals of the same sex are against the policy of the State.”  If passed, the bill would make sure that marriages performed in neighboring Washington DC or any other states with same-sex marriage laws will not be recognized in Maryland.

The bill is set to be heard in the Maryland House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, January 28th, 2009 at 1 PM in Room 100 in the Lowe Office Building located at 6 Bladen Street, Annapolis, Maryland 21401.

Equality Maryland is asking people to come out and show support for marriage recognition at the hearing. Please go here to RSVP.

I know a few couples and business owners that are so fed up with Delegate Burns bill that they vow to abandon the state, along with their businesses, if this bill passes.  A few that I spoke with fail to understand how a state, which is currently running with a budget deficit, could abandon the taxes that both they and their businesses pay in order to discriminate against them.

It is quite sad that Delegate Burns is more interested in discriminating against his constituents than fixing the budget problems the state is currently suffering through.  His priorities are obviously not aligned with the job he was elected to do, which is serve all of his constituents and the state that they live in.

Related:
Democrat introduces anti-gay bill in Md. [DC Agenda]
MD: House to Consider Anti Gay Marriage Bill January 28th – Marriage Equality Proponents Needed [Purple Unions]

Tags: Discrimination, Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, Maryland, Washington DC