Same-Sex Marriage Advocates Get Support From Ravens Player
BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- The push for equal marriage rights in Maryland gets a heavy-hitting supporter. Ravens player Brendon Ayanbadejo posts a video in support of gay marriage on YouTube.
Political reporter Pat Warren has more on how this plays into efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland next year.
Football players are considered role models by some, and advocates for same-sex marriage hope that in the case of one Ravens linebacker, it helps their cause.
Number 51, Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, a 35-year-old father of two, is now taking a stand on YouTube, in support of same-sex marriage.
"I believe we should be doing everything that we can to make Maryland families stronger, which is why I support marriage for gay and lesbian couples who want to make a lifetime committment to each other," Ayanbadejo said.
"We intend to hold their feet to the fire," said Robert Broadus of Protect Marriage Maryland.
Maryland advocates for traditional marriage are also on YouTube.
"What we have to do is take a stand and say we are a people of faith and strong values, and we do not want the law in Maryland changed, which is that marriage is between one man and one woman," Broadus said.
The issue comes to a head in Annapolis next year when Governor Martin O'Malley submits a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland.
"Join me, it's the right thing to do," Ayanbadejo said in the video.
Both sides believe they're right.
"What we're going to do is continue fighting for the preservation of the current Maryland marriage law," Broadus said.
And no one is willing to give up.
If the bill passes in the 2012 legislative session, it will most likely go to referendum, which means voters will have the final say in the November general election.
Governor O'Malley also appears on YouTube in support of same-sex marriage.
