It's official, Maryland now has legal same sex marriage. It is the eighth U.S. State to pass marriage equality.
Courtesy Wikipedia ...
Same-sex marriage in the United States is not recognized by the federal government, but such marriages are recognized by some individual states. The lack of federal recognition was codified in 1996 by the Defense of Marriage Act, before Massachusetts became the first state to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2004. Such licenses are granted by six states: Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, plus Washington, D.C. and Oregon's Coquille and Washington state's Suquamish Indian tribes. The states of Washington[1] and Maryland have passed laws to begin granting same-sex marriage licenses during 2012, but each may be delayed or derailed by November 2012 voter referenda. Same-sex marriages could be legally performed in California between June 16, 2008, and November 4, 2008, after which voters passed Proposition 8 prohibiting same-sex marriages. California also recognizes any same-sex marriage from around the world that took place before that end date, while Maryland recognizes all same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions.[2][3] The legalization of same-sex marriage has been achieved by court rulings and legislative action, but not through voter referendums.[4][5][6][7] As of June 2011, 12 states prohibit same-sex marriage via statute and 29 via the state's constitution.[8]
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