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Pro-family activism that makes a difference! | ||||
"Gay Marriage" bill passes Senate in Maryland by thin margin after tepid pro-family fight. To be signed by Governor this week.
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Presence at Maryland State House. Homosexual activists pack hallway outside of Senate hearing on gay "marriage" bill — 2 hours before it started! |
The morning of the vote, MassResistance received a call from a key Protect Marriage Maryland activist. She said that she had speaking with the staffs of some Senators. Would we email them information on what happened in the schools here in Massachusetts after "gay marriage" began? We got right to work and subsequently spent much of the day on the phone with Maryland activists who were lobbying hard in the State House.
But unfortunately, except for handful of very dedicated pro-family people, the halls of the Maryland State House were packed with homosexual activists pressuring the Senators before they convened for a debate and vote.
The Senate debate — insistance on decorum and politeness
That afternoon the Senate met to debate the issue and vote. It became clear that the "yes" side was confident they had the votes, and they now saw the debate as merely a formality. It reflected the lack of pressure from our side and the huge pressure from the homosexual lobby this time around.
The Senate President, who ran the meeting, went along with the proponents' insistence on absolute decorum and politeness despite the extreme contentiousness of the issue, which is generally what happens when the Left already has the upper hand.
Like listening two different debates at once
The pro-gay "marriage" Senators basically parroted the homosexual lobby's talking points. They went on about "equality" and how this was an extension of the Civil Rights movement, also bringing in a heavy dose of the repeal of the miscegenation laws in the 1950s. They talked about all the "loving families" and how being "gay" is simply "who they are."
The anti-gay "marriage" Senators did not address any of the pro-homosexual points in any way. Instead they mostly talked about how important the word "marriage" was and how children need a father and mother. It also became more overtly religious than we expected. Several Senators brought up God and the Scripture in a very direct way, without embarrassment. (Since there are no religious Massachusetts state Senators, this was a refreshing change for us.) But they seemed clearly afraid to confront any of the homosexual lobby's talking points.
Pro-family amendments passionately attempted — and rejected
There was some divergence on the pro-family side. A few pro-family Senators argued very passionately about the rights of people to be protected from the eventual "gay marriage" mandates. They offered amendments (1) to give more protection to businesses who don't agree with it; (2) to give protection to parents and kids in schools from forced lessons — and the David Parker case was discussed; and even (3) to protect the petition process from being thwarted by the courts.
But it was too little too late. All three amendments (and others) were soundly voted down by the majority. One could see that they just wanted to get it done and not send it back to the House with changes, no matter how fair or necessary for people's protection. The pro-family establishment had basically conceded the fight, and it showed.
In the end, the vote was taken, to cheers by the flood of homosexual activists in the gallery and halls outside. It was sent on to the Governor who has said he'd sign it.
Petition to repeal to start petition drive
Pro-family activists have already started the process for a statewide petition to put the matter up to a vote in the November elections. They will need to gather 55,736 signatures, and survive likely court challenges by the homosexual lobby.
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