Yesterday, on Lawyer’s Mall in Annapolis, Defend Maryland Marriage and the Family Protection Lobby hosted the first of several rallies purposed to bring attention to Maryland’s marriage crisis. The reported numbers in attendance range from 1,000 to 2,800. Rally organizers have evidence that 40 full, chartered buses and 350 vehicles registered with the organizers and parked in the rally’s reserved spaces at the Naval Stadium. Indisputably, men and women of every ethnicity, young and old, from the farthest-reaching corners of the state braved the below freezing temperatures to support a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
Lt. Governor Steele spoke to the crowd in support of traditional marriage. Other speakers included U.S. Congressman Roscoe Bartlett, Lou Sheldon, founder of the Traditional Values Coalition, and Tom Minnery, Public Policy Director of Focus On The Family.
The message was clear. We love all people and we desire the best life for everyone. This is why we desire to protect marriage. However, note that the proposed constitutional amendment would not ban same sex marriage outright. It would, in fact, put the issue before the citizens of this great state and allow their voice to be heard. The amendment only goes into effect if the people of Maryland approve it in 2006.