Legalize it already! No one loses anything.

What Mahlia said.....

We might actually encourage stable relationships in the Gay Community if we support Marriage Equality.

Surprised the county commissioners haven't weighed in on this here. This was such a big topic for them last year that they took time away from REAL county business to discuss, draft, sign and then celebrate a resolution against it. What a good use of our tax dollars...NOT!

That question is a no-brainer! Maryland should have legalized gay.marriage years ago.
John D. Witiak

In this land of the "free and the brave"--this is a no-brainer....

There is no constitutional reason to deny two adults the right to marry. Any objection is based on religious grounds. I respect anyone's right to their beliefs, but religious beliefs should not be the basis for a State's policy regarding civil marriage. I had clients who shared their lives together, and all their property, for over 55 years, but when one died, the other one had to pay taxes on the inheritance, as if they had been strangers. Had they been legally married for 55 minutes they wouldn't have had to pay taxes--this is blatant discrimination.

I'm no religious nut and I find the idea of two men or women marrying or just being together sickening. And then they want to have kids on top of that, let me see them pull that off without a donor of the opposite sex.

I get sickened when I see multiple body piercings, but I don't expect them to be outlawed. A societies' laws are not dependent upon the squeamishness of some of its members.

thanks to all the good people supporting the love and commitment of our gay friends and neighbors to each other.

Sometimes I wonder if the opposition to equal marrige rights is because some hetero people are afraid they will be embarrassed by their own "live in sin" people and their own divorce rate - now at least 50% and counting

Equal marriage rights for our gay and lesbian friends and neighbors will strengthen the institution of marriage.

I subscribe to the theory that the people who object to homosexuality are the ones who have the greatest curiosity about it. Was that Freud who said that? (Did I spell that wrong?)

Gay 'marriage'? No such animal. Call it whatever you want, but DON'T call it a 'marriage'. Marriage = 1 man + 1 woman...Period. And no, I am not a homophobe...I have friends who are gay. Gay men can be the very best of friends to a hetero woman.

@ Bon-Bon: Then I guess the MAJORITY of heterosexuals are all curious, lololol! I put 'majority' in caps because homosexuals are the MINORITY the last time I checked. There's nothing to be curious about...we know what it's about! Unlike some, I firmly believe that homosexuality is genetic in nature and not just a lifestyle choice.

I repeat...call it anything...a union...a partnership...but DON'T call it a marriage! There are many hetero couples who MARRY at a civil union and not a religious ceremony. Gays have already been given the exact same rights as heteros...e.g., employer provided health insurance for one another and the like.

Can't wrap my head around a man calling another man 'my wife'. People who live together without being married don't do that. I will continue to choose marriage as being one man plus one woman, no matter what the state decides. All others are unions or partnerships.

And if this one passes (ugh), the first time I see a transgender in the ladies' restroom, I'm going to scream my head off! Outdoor plumbing does NOT belong in the restroom as those who have indoor plumbing.

Aw, let 'em marry. Why shouldn't they be as miserable as the rest of us?

Old joke JC...stale...

But still relevant. And still funny!

@ Judy: Ah, Massachusetts! Lib capital of the East coast. But that just may be changing since the deceased 'Kennedy' seat (though he sure didn't own it, just thought he did) was lost to a conservative).

Your family's bathroom is NOT a public restroom....one goes into a family bathtroom and does their business privately, ALONE (oh, could I ever make an insulting comment here, but I won't). Same as any bathroom that has a single toilet. The rule is 'knock and lock'. You've never done this? How sheltered. If a trans used that type of restroom before me, I don't really care, as long as when I'm in there, a trans isn't. Or any other strange female or male, for that matter. I'm also sure that men would not like a trans using their public facilities either.

I stand by what I wrote earlier. Your response was not well thought out.

Sigh! Glad you find me so amusing, just as I find you. You just don't get it, do you? Read this veeeerrrry slowly: The men's room has public urinals...I don't think they'd appreciate a trans woman trying to use one, lololol! I can just picture that, ROFL! The men would know a trans as he/she (what I call them) because the he/she would be all dolled up like a she, splorf! Vice versa with the women :D

Those guests in your home presumably used your bathroom privately and locked it, I hope? Or did they share it with the opposite sex? Or did you all have kinky guests?

Our military despise the repeal of 'DADT', all that is except for the gay ones. Have you used public restrooms without stalls? Thought not. I have total empathy for our military who are stuck with this barbaric lack of privacy.

Haven't you ever travelled and used a restroom in a Jiffy Mart while stopping for gas, as just one example? Haven't you ever had to wait in a line for the one-toilet bathroom to be free? Haven't you ever knocked to see if it's occupied? Haven't you ever been the one in the bathroom who, upon hearing the knock, say 'just a minute'?

I repeat, if transgenders are allowed in the ladies' room, I will scream to high heaven. Man, you are so obtuse, it's funny as all get out! I think peeps here are having a good chuckle...on you.

Oh, and how we've digressed from the original story here, LMAO!

There are many points in my comments you've failed to respond to. Therefore, the best way to 'argue' with a fool is thru silence.

Mark...you are right on point about how the meaning of words change...and in this particular case the definition of marriage should include, not exclude, unions between people regardless of sex...it includes the legal ramifications but does not exclude the religious implications. To have a belief system that is so narrow is, in my mind, not Christian at all...I am not familiar with other religions so do not know about their tenets...and somewhere in my own personal beliefs, I often wonder about how mankind is so arrogant as to think they can understand God and the things that follow from...Mankind's arrogance...

As an afterthought: please, please don't tell me the Bible is "God's word"...if you choose to believe that--it is your choice. There are so many other religions in this world...WORLD..who do not believe it...and it is an example of that "arrogance" to think that any other way is "wrong." And, by the way, I was brought up in a very devout Catholic family with an uncle as a Jesuit priest...so don't jump on me...

@ Judy...don't know why I bother to reply, but I've had occasion to be in men's restrooms when I was young, because the women's had too long a line & my legs were crossed :) I well know what they're like. I've also had many unfortunate occasions to have to use a spot-a-pot. I can just imagine two men or two women or 1 man or 1 woman in one. And yes, you are a fool and obtuse. May as well argue with a rock.

I must repeat: The best way to 'argue' with a fool is thru silence.

The funny thing about the transgender person in the restroom argument is that the transgender person wants to be just like you - whatever gender the sign on the door is. So just being transgendered doesn't mean that person is going to hit on you nor expose their genitalia to you nor act inappropriately with you. With your transgender bias, shouldn't you also want to ban homosexual women from the women's bathroom? It's nonsensical. In all my years, I have never been hit on in a bathroom or locker room by anyone who is homosexual or transgendered. And yes, there was a transgendered man to woman at my college in the early 1980s. Withavengeance, I suggest you go to the bathroom before you leave home from now on.

Nature.... taking it's course again....the nerve of nature...causing such confusion.
The points of contention with regard to same sex marriage, all stem around money when the line hits the bottom. Money sure does cause a lot of problems..

Here's the point...it's about civil rights, plain and simple. Pretend for a minute we're talking about any other minority group throughout the history of our country, who is and was discriminated against. These are people of flesh and blood, just like us. If Withavengeance could only imagine in her intolerant little mind what it is like to be discriminated against for what makes her different, she might begin to empathize with the reasons for same sex marriage. Until then, we'll all be forced to hear her pathetic excuses for putting her religious views above everyone else's. Thankfully it's a minority view that the state should determine who may be married and who may not and public opinion has turned. Nobody is forcing churches to perform gay marriages. It's a fundamental form of discrimination not to allow all human beings the same right to marry.

In no way did I ever mention religion, Judy. I said nothing at all about the Bible or any other religious doctrine. Two homosexual women in the ladies' room...no problem...they have the correct equipment to be there, same as men. A transgender in the ladies' (or mens') restroom? I have a problem with that. People with outdoor plumbing, when using a public restroom, belong in the mens' room and people with indoor plumbing when using a public restroom, belong in the ladies room. What one does with one's own private restroom in their own home is their business and no one else's.

And your are sooo wrong...I have been discriminated against and still would be if I decided to tell the whole world why. Many celebrities and professionals have 'come out' about this issue, but the stigma is still there, especially with employers. So I choose not to talk about it except with a very small circle of friends & professionals. I don't need the drama. And I refuse to be put on the defensive.

I'm not discriminating against gays OR transgenders....it's the plumbing issue in the wrong restroom that unsettles me. If that makes me intolerant, then so be it.

Ok, I'm done being 'put on the defensive' here, so have a nice day.

Not sure how restrooms and gay marriage tie together, but maybe a third relief facility can be developed.... men's, women's and tweener's for those in transition. This would assure everyone equal privacy where relief is sought.
I believe that the law should leave perceived moral issues related to marriage to the individual, not a perceived god, not an insurance policy, not lawyers or judges, and certainly NOT elected official public servants.
Why does everything seem to boil down to who will be able prevail in law suits seeking equal treatment
.Discrimination has plagued human beings since the days of caves. Legislation will never fix it.....interesting debate though.

Sweet Jesus, Judy! If someone is a man dressed and made up like a woman, I don't need to see his/her equipment to know he/she is a man! Get over yourself, lady.

I like Joe's point. Let's imagine this was any other group of folks. Instead of members of the LGBT community, let's say this conversation is about....smokers. Smokers are in the minority now. We all know people who smoke, but they're definitely not viewed with acceptance the way they used to be. I don't like to be around people who smoke because I find the odor offensive. So what if we said "smokers can't dine in restaurants where nonsmokers dine" because the stench of smoke on their clothing makes others uncomfortable? What if we said "smokers can't be around children because they might cause children to want to smoke." What if we said "Smokers can drink from public water fountains" because their smoke-covered lips might touch the place where the water comes out? What if we said "Smokers can't use public restrooms" because they might light one up in there? What if we said, "Smokers can't buy life insurance or health insurance" because they tend to have more health issues than the rest of the population? What if we said "smokers can't marry?" because.... because... because... oh yeah, they're just like everyone else, aren't they? Even you, Pammy Hammy.

Your point being, Bon-Bon? ROFL!

Smokers no longer have equal rights, even though it's perfectly legal to do so. Too hard for you, Bon-Bon?

Our constitution guarantees all citizens basic civil rights...it's that simple... pass marriage equality!

Why in the world are we paying our BOC to go to Annapolis on a "mission" (couldn't help myself using that word...) to protest a legal issue that has nothing to do with the "mission" of being a Carroll County Commissioner....and to thing WE are paying for this illegal and costly over-reaching (to use one of the BOC's favorite phrases) involvements in an over-their-pay-grade endeavors....