Question 6

Last Tuesday, November 6, Maryland residents voted to legalize same-sex marriage. Maryland’s Question Six vote marked the first time in history that voters have decided by referendum to approve gay marriage; Other states that have legalized gay marriage have legalized it through state legislatures and courts. In March, Governor Martin O’Malley signed a gay marriage law. However, it was put on hold after opponents received enough signatures to force a public vote. While speaking to a crowd Tuesday November 6, O’Malley stated, “noble battle to move Maryland forward. We always move forward.” Quoting Frederick Douglass, O’Malley said, “We are one, our cause is one and we must help each other to succeed.”

Question Six reads:
Establishes that Maryland’s civil marriage laws allow gay and lesbian couples to obtain a civil marriage license, provided they are not otherwise prohibited from marrying; protects clergy from having to perform any particular marriage ceremony in violation of their religious beliefs; affirms that each religious faith has exclusive control over its own theological doctrine regarding who may marry within that faith; and provides that religious organizations and certain related entities are not required to provide goods, services, or benefits to an individual related to the celebration or promotion of marriage in violation of their religious beliefs.

Journalist Allen McDuffee covered this topic Wednesday November 7. His article was very brief and he didn’t present many perspectives or quote others. He only quotes O’Malley. I would have appreciated it if he asked a gay couple what they thought about same-sex being legalized. I also would have liked to hear a straight person’s opinion about this topic. His whole article was facts (logos), but it was too brief to get a very good understanding about this event, which is why my article is very brief.