Deane, Polyak among Maryland’s most influential

Lisa Polyak (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Gita Deane and Lisa Polyak were named by The Daily Record as among the state’s most influential people in 2013. The couple was honored as “Marriage Equality Proponents” in the Civic Leadership category.

Deane and Polyak were the lead plaintiffs in the marriage equality lawsuit filed in 2004 by Equality Maryland and the ACLU of Maryland. After a lower court ruled for the plaintiffs, the Maryland Court of Appeals by a margin of 4-3 ruled in 2007 that the state’s ban on same-sex marriage did not violate the Maryland Constitution. Last August, Polyak resigned from her position on Equality Maryland’s board of directors following many years of service.

The honorees, selected by The Daily Record’s editors, are represented in a wide range of categories including Communications. Law, Finance, Health Care, Technology and Philanthropy. For the complete list of honorees, visit thedailyrecord.com.