The numbers are looking good for Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley's latest push to legalize same-sex marriage, with a majority in favor according to a poll. Meanwhile, activists for and against gay marriage spoke at a state Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee meeting on Tuesday to debate the merits and negatives surrounding the issue, the Washington Post reports.
Here are some of the latest numbers, quotes and facts on the debate.
* The Washington Post poll was conducted Jan. 23-26 and included 1,064 people. The poll shows 50 percent of Marylanders support the proposal, compared to 44 percent who oppose. Six percent had no opinion.
* This was the first poll to show 50 percent in favor. The first poll with more in favor than not was carried out May 6, 2010, and showed 46 percent in favor, 44 percent opposed and 10 percent with no opinion.
* Most participants said their religious beliefs were a factor in their decision by 37 percent. But 14 percent said they were influenced by "a personal experience," another 14 percent by "the views of your friends and family" and 12 percent by their education.
* Very few people agreed that things they have seen in the media (4 percent), personal beliefs and opinions (3 percent), or the legal, Constitutional and fairness issue (2 percent) were important in their decision-making.
* Judicial Proceedings Committee Chairman Sen. Brian Frosh, D-Montgomery, anticipated holding a vote within two weeks. In 2011, the Maryland Senate passed a similar bill, but it was never voted on in the General Assembly due to a change of heart from several initial backers.
* Among those who spoke to the committee were Gov. O'Malley, executive director for the Maryland Catholic Conference Mary Ellen Russell and Eric Baxter, a lawyer for The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.
* Reuters reports O'Malley argued on the basis of religion in trying to shepherd his bill through the committee, saying the "very reason for our state's founding was for religious freedom. At the heart of religious freedom is respect for the freedom of individual conscience."
* Polls suggest race is a major dividing line among Maryland Democrats, with 71 percent of whites supporting same-sex marriage, but only 41 percent of blacks in agreement.
Shawn Humphrey is a former contributor to The Flint Journal and lives near Washington in Gaithersburg, Md.
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