MetroWeekly.com – by Yusef Najafi
Activists fight for same-sex marriage rights, transgender equality. Rally to be held in Annapolis, MD on February 12.
At first glance, there may seem to be a romantic subtext to scheduling the annual Equality Maryland Lobby Day — for the past several years it’s been held on the Monday before Valentine’s Day.
But that’s mainly a coincidence and a matter of availability, says Equality Maryland Executive Director Dan Furmansky.
But it’s appropriate nonetheless, given the high-profile case of 19 gay Marylanders who challenged a 1973 state statute that prohibits same-sex marriage. They presented their case to the Court of Appeals, Maryland’s highest court, and are awaiting a decision that could surface any day.
”At the forefront of our struggle is the freedom to love and build families with whomever we choose ? and not at the expense of the condemnation and exclusion of the law,” Furmansky says. ”With a message at its core about love and family, Valentine’s Day is the perfect time for Equality Maryland to storm Annapolis with our brigade of citizen activists.”