Click below to become a member of MAP. Laws that explicitly mention sexual orientation primarily protect or harm lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. That said, transgender people who are lesbian, gay or bisexual can be affected by laws that explicitly mention sexual orientation. Gender identity and expression are independent of sexual orientation, and transgender people may identify as heterosexual, lesbian, gay or bisexual. These laws also can apply to people who are not transgender, but whose sense of gender or manner of dress does not adhere to gender stereotypes. We appreciate you signing up for the MAP newsletter.
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Same-sex marriage has been legally recognized in the U. In , the state's Democratic representatives, led by Governor Martin O'Malley , began a campaign for its legalization. After much debate, a law permitting same-sex marriage was passed by the General Assembly Maryland's bicameral Legislature , composed of the Senate and House of Delegates in February and signed on March 1, The law took effect on January 1, after The vote was hailed as a watershed moment by gay rights activists and marked the first time marriage rights in the United States have been extended to same-sex couples by popular vote. Upon the rise of the same-sex marriage movement in the early s, Maryland established the first law in the United States that expressly defined marriage to be a union between a man and a woman. Attempts to both ban and legalize same-sex marriage in the s and s failed to gain enough support from central committees of the state legislature.
Maryland has had statewide protections against discrimination based on an individual's sexual orientation since and gender identity since Legislation to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland was approved by voters on November 6, and went into effect on January 1, Today, the state of Maryland is regarded as one of the most pro-LGBT states in the country , with two-thirds of Marylanders supporting same-sex marriage. All laws against non-commercial, private consensual sex were overturned by Maryland state courts. The decision in Schochet v.
Jump to navigation Skip navigation. The ACLU of Maryland is dedicated to making our state a place that respects all identities, relationships and families. The ACLU of Maryland successfully challenged sodomy laws in Maryland, and we helped pass and defend laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. We were instrumental in bringing marriage equality to Maryland, a battle fought first in the courts, then the General Assembly, and finally with a ballot referendum that ushered in equal marriage rights in Despite these victories, discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity remains all too common.