Maryland AG Releases Opinion In Favor Of Gay Marriage | On Top Magazine :: Gay & Lesbian News, Entertainment, Commentary & Travel

Maryland AG Releases Opinion In Favor Of Gay Marriage | On Top Magazine :: Gay & Lesbian News, Entertainment, Commentary & Travel

Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler released a long-awaited opinion on gay marriage Wednesday morning, the Washington Post reported.

Gansler, a Democrat, concluded that Maryland's highest court is likely to decide in favor of recognizing gay marriage performed in other states.

The Court of Appeals “will likely apply the principle that a marriage is valid in the place of celebration is valid in Maryland,” Gansler said in a 45-page opinion.

“The opinion reaches this conclusion in light of the evolving state policy, reflected in anti-discrimination laws, domestic partner laws and other legislation, that respects and supports committed intimate same-sex relationships,” he added.

Proponents of gay marriage are likely to use the opinion, which is only an interpretation, to persuade state agencies and courts to rule in their favor.

Maryland currently bans gay marriage by law. Earlier in the month, a key House committee killed a bill that would have prohibited the state from recognizing legal gay marriages performed in other states.

A gay marriage law in the District of Columbia, which cuts into Maryland's western border, is expected to take effect on March 3.