Maryland

Gov. Martin O'Malley (pic) says legalizing gay marriage in Maryland is a matter of protecting children. O'Malley said his proposed bill will offer certain legal protections to children of gay couples, providing parity with children of married, heterosexual parents. He testified before the Senate Judicial Proceeding Committee. Last year, the Senate passed a version of the bill, but it stalled in the House over a few legislators' religious beliefs.

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley (pic) announced his support for a marriage equality bill in Maryland. “At the end of the day, I think all of us need to look at this issue from the eyes of children of gay, committed couples and ask ourselves how one family could be protected less in the eyes of the law than another family,” O’Malley said at a news conference in Annapolis.

A letter to the Editor of the local Salisbury, MD paper: "I read that the National Organization of Marriage is investing a million dollars in our state to fight gay marriage. It bothers me that people outside our state want to tell us what to do, while I wonder how much money it takes to purchase a legislator. Traditional marriage is not threatened by the union of two people of the same sex.

A state House committee narrowly backed legislation to give same-sex couples in Maryland the same full marriage rights as heterosexuals. The 12-10 vote by the House Judiciary sends the bill, which already has been approved by the state Senate, to the full House of Delegates, which could vote on the measure next week. Gov.

Lawmakers in Rhode Island and Maryland are considering bills to legalize same-sex marriage, and advocates in New York haven't given up - while opponents are fighting for constitutional bans in Indiana and Wyoming and to re-impose bans in Iowa and New Hampshire.

In NYC, Freedom to Marry announced the launch of what it described as the largest-ever campaign aimed at increasing popular support for same-sex marriage.

In a surprise move for a Republican, Senate Minority Leader Allan H. Kittleman (pictured), from Maryland, said he would remove a state requirement that a marriage be between a man and woman; and sponsor legislation in the upcoming session to allow civil unions between both heterosexual and same-sex partners.

Earlier this year the Hartford County School District - in Maryland - un-blocked several web sites that provide information about gays and lesbians. The move sparked protests from some parents, who say they should have been consulted before the change was made. Previously, sites like the Human Rights Campaign were blocked from students.

Baltimore's ABC2News.com reports: