Maryland Attorney General Says Lack of Same-Sex Marriage is "Discriminatory"

At the temperature begins to rise around the debate about same-sex marriage in the Maryland State Assembly, the state's Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler left no doubt where he stands on the issue.

From the Baltimore Sun:

Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler has become the most prominent official in Maryland to endorse gay marriage, telling state legislators Thursday that he believes the current ban on same-sex unions amounts to discrimination.

"It would be hard for me to have this job knowing there is something so wrong in our society," Gansler told the Senate panel considering a bill to legalize gay marriage. "I just think it's wrong to discriminate against any people because they think differently or because of their sexual orientation."

But Gansler also said that law makers in Annapolis might not have the "political courage" to legalize gay marriage this year and that the General Assembly will probably "settle" for civil unions, which would confer many of the rights afforded to married heterosexual couples.

Gansler also pointed out the folly of putting people's rights up to a popular vote:

When asked about putting the legalization of same-sex marriage to voters, Gansler said such a referendum would probably lose. But, he added, "it is the job of elected officials to do what they think is right." He referred to the 1967 Supreme Court decision declaring Virginia's law against interracial marriage unconstitutional. If that law had been put to voters in that state then, he said, they likely would have supported it.

Mr. Gansler gets it. While I think getting same-sex marriage passed this session is a stretch, I suspect civil unions has a real chance. If you can't get a touchdown, at least kick a field goal--it puts points on the board and gets you closer to a victory.

Click here to read the rest of the Sun's story.