Voters Should Not Decide the Civil Rights of Others

Some well written letters to editor over at the Gazette.

Delegate Don Dwyer, Homophobe

As a Marylander, I am embarrassed by Delegate Don Dwyer and his attempts to codify his hatred for homosexuals into Maryland law. Its not enough for the Delegate that Maryland defines (wrongly in my opinion) marriage as between a man and a woman.

The amendment, as proposed in the Senate, would amend the state constitution to include the following: “Only a marriage between a man and a woman is a valid marriage in this state.”

Offered as Senate Bill 564, the amendment is championed by Sen. Larry Haines (R-Baltimore and Carroll counties) and supported by 12 other senators.

Meanwhile, Del. Don Dwyer (R-Anne Arundel County) has introduced a similar measure via House Bill 919. His proposal calls for a similar definition, but also bars public schools from teaching about “same-sex relationships.” More than 30 delegates back the bill.

This is pandering to bigotry, pure and simple. Does Delegate Dwyer really believe that the state constitution should dictate public school curricula? What risk could there possibly be for teaching students about same-sex relationships?

Thankfully, the momentum is not behind Delegate Dwyer and his hateful cohorts. Instead it is behind Equality Maryland, 400+ members of which gathered before the statehouse to rally for marriage equality. Many in the legislature agree that these amendments are bunk:

Del. Heather Mizeur (D-Montgomery County) said Dwyer’s proposal has “no legs.”

She said his amendment’s stipulation that public schools not teach students about “same-sex relationships” did nothing to help his cause.

“He seems each year to take it one step further, to make it more ridiculous than the previous year in his quest to spew hatred toward the GLBT community,” she said. “He only won re-election by 25 votes. Perhaps his constituents were sending him a message that there are other priorities that he should be focusing on?”

And no, the opposition isn't only coming from Montgomery County:

Del. Galen Clagett (D-Frederick County)...

“I hate wasting time with this stuff,” he said. “We’re not dealing with real issues.”

Clagett, 65, said he so opposed the proposed amendment that he threw Dwyer’s request for support into the trash. To prove his point, the delegate later sifted through his trash bin and produced the document for a reporter.

Delegate Dwyer's website makes it clear that he is staunchly against gay rights. He lists Maryland politicians who "support gay rights" as if they are a list of convicted criminals. Lets hope the voters in Anne Arundel's 31st district can learn from the actions of Delegate Clagett, and ditch their support for Dwyer.

In Case You Couldn't Make it to Equality Maryland's Lobby Day

Helping our Allies

I won't try to write a better plea to help Kevin-Douglas Olive than the one over at Blogactive.

And now, Kevin-Douglas Olive is fighting the battle of his life to honor the dying wishes of his late partner, Russell Groff. His fight, one he has taken on for us all, has cost him everything. Because Maryland is engaged in the fight for marriage equality in the state's highest court, this case is even more important. It's not about Kevin and Russell. It's about the rights of every fair minded American.

You can be sure that Groff's parents are well financed. Help Mr. Olive win this civil rights struggle. Visit the blogactive page and head to paypal link.