8/7/2019 Maryland LGBT Caucus writes Dear Colleague letter

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/maryland-lgbt-caucus-writes-dear-colleague-letter 1/2

 

March 8, 2011

Dear Colleagues,

It will come as no surprise to any of you that this is a crucial week for the six of us. As you know,the House will soon consider the Civil Marriage Protection Act (Senate Bill 116), a bill that will allow same-sex couples to marry in Maryland. Importantly, it will also reaffirm religious communities’constitutional right to solemnize only those unions that fit within their faith traditions. First and

foremost, we write to ask you – on behalf of our families and thousands of families headed by same-sex couples in our state – to vote yes on this legislation. Just as important, though, we are writing torefocus this debate back to what this bill will actually do. Quite simply, it will secure for our familiesthe protections that marriage – and only marriage – provides to loving and committed couples whohave pledged to spend the rest of their lives together.

The General Assembly will consider many other important bills and initiatives during this legislativesession, but few will be as important to a group of Marylanders as the Civil Marriage Protection Actwill be for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The estimated 15,600families headed by same-sex couples in our state are remarkably similar to all other families. Asanyone who attended the House or Senate hearing can attest, we come from all walks of life and

reflect the great diversity for which Maryland is known. Same-sex couples live in every single one of Maryland’s counties. Fully one-fifth of LGBT families include children under the age of 18. Ourhouseholds are financially interdependent in ways that any couple in the state would recognize. Weare proud to live in Maryland.

Our families need the same protections because we face many of the same challenges. We stretchour paychecks to put food on the table, keep a roof over our children’s heads and plan foremergencies. We struggle with the skyrocketing costs of health care, college tuition, and gas for ourcars. And though we shoulder many of these same responsibilities, we cannot count on the samekind of safety net should life throw more at us than we can handle.

Marriage is at its best and most effective during some of life’s worst moments. The protections itaffords to families are especially crucial when one spouse is in the back of an ambulance, or rushedinto emergency surgery, or dies unexpectedly. For us, as for all of Maryland’s families, a marriagelicense will mean far more than the paper on which it is printed. For us, it means the possibility of shared health insurance, more stable homes for our children, and fewer conversations about legaldocuments with attorneys. We would never want the responsibility of voting on you and yourspouse’s will, power of attorney, or advanced medical directive, but you’ve been put in that positionthis week for our families. We have faith that when faced with the option, you will vote to allow same-sex couples the opportunity to fulfill the commitments of mutual support and sharedresponsibility that we have already made to one another and to our children.

8/7/2019 Maryland LGBT Caucus writes Dear Colleague letter

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/maryland-lgbt-caucus-writes-dear-colleague-letter 2/2

You will hear arguments during the course of this debate that, in our opinion, distract from whatthis bill does and what our conversation should be about. On the one hand, some proponents of marriage equality will speak of the recognition and respect that marriage confers on a relationship.Though this is undoubtedly true, we cannot legislate what is, at its core, a matter of the heart. Wecertainly seek to be thought of as any other family, but what is more important – and what is actually 

at stake with this bill – is that we are treated as any other family by the state and its laws. And on theother hand, some opponents of marriage equality will change the subject and seek to debate “thedefinition of marriage.” But not only does this bill not affect any couple already married inMaryland, reframing the debate abstractly distracts from the very tangible protections that we seek for our families.

There will also undoubtedly be a debate about whether the state could design some institution otherthan marriage. We believe that any attempt to create a separate set of rules for our families will befar more complicated than ending the exclusion of our families from marriage and inevitably lead tounequal treatment. In the decade since civil unions were first created, this belief has been borne outby experience. Before Vermont passed marriage equality legislation, their civil union law wasexplicitly limited to not include all the protections of marriage. And in New Jersey, despite the

promise of equal treatment, many private employers have declined to offer health benefits to thecivil union partners of their employees. Marriage equality is a far simpler and more powerfulsolution.

We understand that for many of you this will be a close call and a tough vote – personally,politically, or spiritually. We know that for many of you with LGBT family members and friends, itis an issue as personal as it is for us. For those of you who have committed to supporting the CivilMarriage Protection Act, we thank you and ask you to stand strong with us. For those of you whoare not yet sure if you can support us, what we ask you for is the opportunity to talk face-to-faceabout the challenges our families face and how this legislation will help us meet them. What we ask is for the opportunity to protect our families as you would protect yours. Thousands of families

headed by same-sex couples need your vote on this legislation. Colleagues, we need you. Please voteyes on Senate Bill 116, the Civil Marriage Protection Act. Vote yes because you know it is the rightthing to do. Vote yes because you want to stand on the right side of history. Vote yes because every family in Maryland needs the protections that marriage provides.

Your colleagues,

Luke Clippinger Bonnie Cullison

Anne Kaiser Maggie McIntosh

Heather R. Mizeur Mary Washington