Same-Sex Marriage Plan Draws Protest (in MD) [View All]

[MountainLaurel]

Under the gaze of a cast-iron sculpture of Thurgood Marshall, hundreds of gay couples chanted, "We shall not be moved," and urged Maryland lawmakers to fend off fresh efforts to ban same-sex marriage.

Aggressive lobbying from Equality Maryland, the advocacy group that organized the boisterous rally in Annapolis last night, helped prevent passage of such a ban last month.

At last night's rally, gay men, lesbians and their supporters braved the winter chill to champion what many said was the next chapter of the civil rights movement. There was unmistakable civil rights imagery -- chants and songs that echoed those used to call for racial equality and speeches from leaders such as former congressman and NAACP president Kweisi Mfume, who is running in the Maryland Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

"I know that gay bashing and immigrant bashing and union bashing at the end of the day rob us of our moral authority," Mfume told the crowd.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/13/AR2006021301918.html