In Maryland 7 gay couples rang in the New Year with wedding bells at the stroke of Midnight as gay marriage became legal in that state. The couples were "lawfully married" at a 12:30A ceremony at Baltimore's City Hall. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake officiated at the wedding of the first couples James Scales & William Tasker who have been together for 35 years. Voters in Maryland, Maine & Washington passed marriage equality in November becoming the first states to do so by a popular vote. Mayor Rawlings-Blake called the November 6th vote "a remarkable achievement for Maryland" & welcomed friends & families of the couples to witness history at the early morning ceremony stating, "We are excited to open City Hall to host some of the first wedding ceremonies in our great state." We now have 9 U.S. states & Washington D.C. legalizing gay marriage. Public opinion has shifted in favor of marriage equality. A Pew Research Center survey from October found 49 percent of Americans favored gay marriage with 40 percent opposed. Obama became the first U.S. President in May to support gay marriage saying he believed same-gender couples should be allowed to marry. In his home Illinois a marriage bill could be voted on this week.
Congrats to All the Newlywed Gay & Lesbian Couples in Maryland!! :)
OUTTAKE VOICES™ NOW ON HUFFINGTON POST...:)
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