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Maryland backers of gay marriage bill release poll showing 52% support
Polling high, but numbers can fluctuate once both campaigns begin advertising blitz
Maryland voters may be ready to back same-sex nuptials when they go to the ballot box this fall. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
A poll released Thursday shows that 52 percent of a sample of registered voters in Maryland would “definitely” or “probably” vote in favor of the state’s same-sex marriage bill in a referendum expected to be held in November.
The poll, commissioned by the same-sex marriage advocacy coalition Marylanders for Marriage Equality, shows that 44 percent of the voters polled would “definitely” or “probably” vote against the bill in a referendum.
Four percent of those sampled said they were unsure of how they would vote. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.
The poll of 600 Maryland voters was conducted March 5-7 by the national political polling firm Public Policy Polling. Marylanders for Marriage Equality commissioned the firm to do the poll.
Voters participating in the poll were asked to respond to this question:
“The state legislature recently approved a law allowing gay and lesbian couples to legally marry in Maryland, and there is likely to be a statewide referendum in the November election on whether to keep the law. If the election were held today, do you think you would vote for or vote against the recently-approved law allowing gay and lesbian couples to legally marry?
The findings show that 41 percent said they would “definitely vote for the law;” 11 percent said they would “probably vote for it;” 39 percent said they would “definitely” vote against it; 5 percent said they would “probably” vote against it; and 4 percent said they weren’t sure.
“This is good news for thousands of families and their children all over the state,” said marriage bill supporter Penny Nicholas in a statement released by the Campaign for Marriage Equality.
Nicholas is identified by the campaign as a straight African American mother who testified in favor of the bill last month before the Maryland legislature on behalf of her lesbian daughter.
“A majority of voters realize that committed, loving gay and lesbian couples want the best for their children—which means making sure their kids are treated equally under the law,” Nicholas said in the statement.
The National Organization for Marriage, which is expected to work with at least two Maryland groups in the referendum campaign to defeat the bill, has predicted voters in the state would overwhelming vote against the legalizing same-sex marriage.
Both sides have begun raising money for what political observers expect to be an acrimonious campaign leading up to the November election.
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PHOTOS: Helen Hayes Awards
Gay Men’s Chorus, local drag artists have featured performance at ceremony
The 41st Helen Hayes Awards were held at The Anthem on Monday, May 19. Felicia Curry and Mike Millan served as the hosts.
A performance featuring members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington and local drag artists was held at the end of the first act of the program to celebrate WorldPride 2025.
The annual awards ceremony honors achievement in D.C.-area theater productions and is produced by Theatre Washington.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
District of Columbia
Laverne Cox, Reneé Rapp, Deacon Maccubbin named WorldPride grand marshals
Three LGBTQ icons to lead parade
WorldPride organizers announced Thursday that actress and trans activist Laverne Cox, powerhouse performer Reneé Rapp, and LGBTQ trailblazer Deacon Maccubbin will serve as grand marshals for this year’s WorldPride parade.
The Capital Pride Alliance, which is organizing WorldPride 2025 in Washington, D.C., revealed the honorees in a press release, noting that each has made a unique contribution to the fabric of the LGBTQ community.
Cox made history in 2014 as the first openly transgender person nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category for her role in Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black.” She went on to win a Daytime Emmy in 2015 for her documentary “Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word,” which followed seven young trans people as they navigated coming out.
Rapp, a singer and actress who identifies as a lesbian, rose to prominence as Regina George in the Broadway musical “Mean Girls.” She reprised the role in the 2024 film adaptation and also stars in Max’s “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” portraying a character coming to terms with her sexuality. Rapp has released an EP, “Everything to Everyone,” and an album, “Snow Angel.” She announced her sophomore album, “Bite Me,” on May 21 and is slated to perform at the WorldPride Music Festival at the RFK Festival Grounds.
Deacon Maccubbin, widely regarded as a cornerstone of Washington’s LGBTQ+ history, helped organize D.C.’s first Gay Pride Party in 1975. The event took place outside Lambda Rising, one of the first LGBTQ bookstores in the nation, which Maccubbin founded. For his decades of advocacy and activism, he is often referred to as “the patriarch of D.C. Pride.”
“I am so honored to serve as one of the grand marshals for WorldPride this year. This has been one of the most difficult times in recent history for queer and trans people globally,” Cox said. “But in the face of all the rhetorical, legislative and physical attacks, we continue to have the courage to embrace who we truly are, to celebrate our beauty, resilience and bravery as a community. We refuse to allow fear to keep us from ourselves and each other. We remain out loud and proud.”
“Pride is everything. It is protection, it is visibility, it is intersectional. But most importantly, it is a celebration of existence and protest,” Rapp said.
The three will march down 14th Street for the WorldPride Parade in Washington on June 7.
2025 D.C. Trans Pride was held at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library on Saturday, May 17. The day was filled with panel discussions, art, social events, speakers, a resource fair and the Engendered Spirit Awards. Awardees included Lyra McMillan, Pip Baitinger, Steph Niaupari and Hayden Gise. The keynote address was delivered by athlete and advocate Schuyler Bailar.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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