I would ask you to vote against Question 6 which would legalize gay marriage. As your representative for the last 10 years, I have sat through yearly hearings and debates on the issue and the final product being put to the voters this election is bad law. Even if you support gay marriage in concept, there are many reasons for you to vote against Question 6.
The law in its final form is much more than what it supporters would have you believe. More than just a way for the nice couple down the street to legalize their relationship, more than just a way for love ones to be able to visit each other in the hospital, Question 6 would dramatically alter our society.
If Question 6 is passed, the state will view a same sex union equal to a union between a man and women. No distinction will be allowed. Even distinctions that many would consider reasonable will be outlawed.
The law will dramatically affect our children. The meaning of family and the examples, norms, and sex education taught our children in school will be very different, in other states beginning in kindergarten. Amendments to the law to restrict the teaching of homosexual relationships to a more age appropriate time were defeated. Amendments giving parents a greater ability to “opt out” from any teachings on homosexuality were not allowed.
Also the law would alter policies on adoption and child custody that favor placing a child with a father and mother instead of a same sex couple. Adoption agencies, even church based ones that prefer families headed by a mother and father will be force to accept the new normal or close their doors as we recently witnessed with the Catholic adoption services in DC. Again amendments to the law that would have allowed these organizations to continue their good works were excluded.
As we witnessed recently with Chick fil-a, any dissent, no matter how reasonable no matter how conscientious will become hate speech and will be ridiculed, sued and/or criminalize until we are like Canada were clergy is arrested for quoting passages against homosexuality from the bible. We tried to add unsuccessfully amendments that said that any individual or business could consciously object without reprisals. We read in other states how florists and other businesses are being sued simply because they turned down a job for a gay wedding.
Far from its billing in the press as a law of “tolerance”, allowing everyone to “live and let live”, the law will quickly become a stick with which to persecute anyone not 100% supporting the homosexual agenda. For that reason Question 6 is unreasonable and should be defeated. If the voters of Maryland want same sex marriage a more reasonable law should be crafted.
