Lawmakers in Maryland have approved legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage.
Maryland state senators voted 25 to 21 in favor of the legislation Thursday, after hours of debate and intense arguments on both sides of the issue.
The bill now moves to the more liberal House of Delegates. If it passes — and if Governor Martin O'Malley signs it as he has promised — Maryland will join five other states and the District of Columbia in legalizing same-sex marriage.
Some Maryland lawmakers opposed to the move argue that marriage should only be for people who can biologically have children, in other words, a man and a woman. Maryland Catholics have also lobbied against the legislation citing religious tradition.
The bill includes a provision exempting churches and other religious institutions from performing same-sex weddings if it is against their beliefs.
Supporters of the bill argue that marriage is a civil right. The one openly gay member of the Maryland Senate, Richard Madaleno, said without the law, his partner of 10 years is still a “legal stranger” to him.
Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and the District of Columbia have all approved same-sex marriages.
Wednesday, the U.S. government announced it will stop defending a federal law that defines marriage exclusively as a union between a man and a woman. The Justice Department announced the decision after President Barack Obama determined the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional.