Comments on: Freedom to Marry’s change of heart in Maryland

By: Morgan

Morgan — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:48:55 +0000

We in Maryland have heard enough from NOM itself time and time again to be sufficiently well-versed in NOM’s threats to throttle Maryland’s eventual marriage equality with a despicable referendum. Likely Equality Maryland also know well and other Maryland here know well that under Maryland law any piece of legislation
that is not a budget item can be subjected to a referendum. That’s a given reality of legal and political life here in Maryland. A number of us Marylanders are saddened and outraged by NOM inserting itself things here in Maryland that could make our lives better and/or more equal as gay citizens and we are ready to fight back should a very highly expected referendum follow an MD marriage equality victory here in MD.
Do you live in Maryland? Make no mistake of our intention and our resolve to fight back when we have to here in Maryland. Again we do not depend on Freedom to Marry to help us and they need not visit our state.
They have better things to do with their time and we in Maryland can very well take care of our own equality without wasting a minute of Evan’s precious time.

By: Morgan

Morgan — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:31:19 +0000

Evan Wolfson’s short-sighted dissing of the marriage effort in Maryland has emboldened and encouraged an implacable enemy of equality called NOM regarding Maryland. We can damned well fight a referedum here in Maryland if we have to.
Evan Wolfson and Freedom to Marry don’t even have the decency to mention Maryland and its struggle for marriage equality in 2012 in the list of US states : NJ, WA, MN, ME that may be trying for marriage equlality this year. Maryland will eventually win its fight for marriage equality with or without help from Freedom to Marry and Evan Wolfson.

By: Skeptical Cicada

Skeptical Cicada — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:27:30 +0000

What a collection of empty rhetorical digs! This editorial does not respond to anything in Wolfson’s compelling critique. Sitting in the Blade office and hoping for a victory in a referendum won’t make it happen. You can take his concerns seriously now, or you can take them seriously when the bill is on the verge of being repealed by voters.

By: laurelboy2

laurelboy2 — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 23:21:24 +0000

Obviously Freedom to Marry saw the writing on the wall.

By: Jackie Valtieri

Jackie Valtieri — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:56:37 +0000

This is a rather silly opinion piece. Wolfson’s analysis is correct and Naff really has no argument to refute it. Wolfson’s point is that, because MD is a referendum state, any effort to pass marriage equality must include a comprehensive and well-planned campaign to defend against a referendum. The referendum is the real battle, not the initial action in the legislature. To prevail, a good deal of that campaign infrastructure needs to be in place well in advance of passage.

There is no such infrastructure in place and no effort under way to create it. Accordingly, it makes no sense to proceed to win in the legislature using the NY playbook, only to scramble to cobble together a statewide referendum campaign in a few months in 2012. Under those circumstances, it will fail.

The alternative, which is the best way forward, is to pass civil unions this year and use it as a transitional tool. CUs would pass overwhelmingly and would not likely trigger a referendum attack. CUs invariably help spur momentum for full equality. In a few short years, we could pass full equality and be in a good position to defeat any referendum. Instead, it seems that the MD activists are going to blindly push forward, even without taking the necessary steps to deal with the real battle, which is the referendum. Wolfson is correctly pointing out that this is folly.

By: Unfortunate

Unfortunate — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 21:33:55 +0000

I continue to believe these referenda are not being handled correctly by the pro-gay. I’ve been tireless in saying this, and now 100% fully expect to be ignored or argued against when I say this; and it’s not going to stop me from saying it, ever.

Every time a state referendum is threatened, the pro-gay should be taking several steps which they never take in any state to assure a greater chance of a fair fight:

1. Demanding control of the language on the ballot question, and taking the ballot language to court if it has been crafted deliberately to sabotage their cause.

2. Demanding a system which monitors the anti-gay in their signature-gathering, and where instances of foul play are suspected, taking the individuals and the organizations to court.

3. Not demanding but appointing themselves to review of any and all advertisements meant to defeat marriage equality, and where those advertisements tell any lies or make any misrepresentations, taking the advertisements and the organizations to court.

There is so much unfairness inherent in this “ballot process” in every state where it has ever occurred that, in fact, every vote should be nullified — but that’s not going to happen. I’ve used a plethora, a myriad of examples in all sorts of contexts to make these arguments which I will not repeat here. But in fact, those voting against marriage equality are voting *based in misinformation and misstatements of fact on par with the most virulent prejudices which litter this country’s history*, and I have no doubt that ten or fifteen years down the road, my point would be seen much more clearly. For now, unfortunately, the pro-gay are constantly placing themselves at the mercy of the anti-gay, who are gleefully exploiting it at every turn.