Attorney general says same-sex couples can marry in 2013
Marriage equality is an ongoing battle for same-sex couples and their supporters. Beginning on Jan. 1, 2013 same-sex partners will have a new state in which to get married. Many states, such as Colorado, allow same-sex couples to enter into domestic partnership agreements but forbid the couples to legally marry.
Maryland\’s attorney general has issued a formal legal opinion that same-sex partners may be allowed to wed starting on New Year\’s Day. The document further states that couples who have entered into a domestic partnership or civil union are not prohibited from marrying. However, couples who got married in other states and are still currently married are ineligible for a marriage license.
The attorney general has shown support for marriage equality in the past. In 2010, the attorney general issued an opinion stating that Maryland\’s legal system could recognize same-sex marriages conducted in other states.
New Year\’s Day is a holiday, and there is a two-day waiting period before marriage licenses take effect, so the earliest day that same-sex couples will physically be able to marry in this state is Jan. 4, 2013. These marriages will be allowed to go forward because citizens voted in November to uphold a law passed by the state Legislature earlier in the year that legalized same-sex marriage.
Same-sex couples generally seek the same rights as opposite-sex couples. People in states that forbid same-sex marriage should look for information on securing similar rights to those enjoyed by married couples through entering into a domestic partnership agreement while the fight for marriage equality pushes on.
Source: HuffPost DC, “Same-Sex Couples In Maryland Can Begin Marrying On Jan. 1, Says Attorney General Doug Gansler,” Dec. 3, 2012′
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