A same-sex marriage bill passed the Maryland Senate Thursday, sending it to Gov. Martin O'Malley who said he will sign the bill into law.
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Maryland will become the eighth state to legalize same-sex marriage, though opponents are collecting signatures to put a referendum on the November ballot.
The governor of Washington signed a bill this month legalizing same-sex marriage in the state. New Jersey also passed a same-sex marriage bill, but it was vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie. Christie and other state Republican lawmakers want to make the issue a ballot question for voters.
A question on same-sex marriage will likely be on the November ballot in Maine, the Portland Press Heraldreports. Minnesota voters will also vote on a marriage amendment in November. North Carolina will be the final Southern state to vote on a constitutional amendment declaring marriage between a man and a woman. The vote will take place on May 8, which is also the same day as the Republican State primary.
Lawyers defending California's Proposition 8 asked the full 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to rehear the 2-1 decision ruling the ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.
Earlier this week, a federal court ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional. Last year, President Obama asked the Justice Department to stop defending the law.
Some same-sex marriage proponents are making symbolic moves over the issue. A salon stylist created headlines for his refusal to cut New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez's hair due to her opposition to same-sex marriage. A judge in Texas refuses to conduct marriages for a man and a woman until same-sex couples can marry.
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