Furmansky Slams Muse, Defends Raskin

From the Gazette:

The March 19 article, ‘‘Freshman Raskin seeking a balance in his second session,” creates a muddled picture of the senator’s pivotal role in the debate about protections for families headed by same-sex couples, repeating so-called ‘‘rumors” that Senator Raskin (D-Dist. 20) of Takoma Park helped doom passage of comprehensive legislation because he publicly discussed Sen. C. Anthony Muse as a swing vote on the issue.

It’s hardly a secret that key to passage of any comprehensive relationship recognition legislation in Judicial Proceedings rested with Senator Muse (D-Dist. 26) of Fort Washington, who openly discussed the topic with major press outlets and portrayed himself as open to compromise.

The Baltimore Sun reported, ‘‘...the lawmaker says he opposes gay marriage on religious grounds. But he also says that he is concerned about fair, equal treatment for gay couples. He has not made up his mind on civil unions.”

In the end, Senator Muse’s equivocations amounted to little more than hot air, since he opposed all proposed measures that would help alleviate difficulties faced by unmarried couples in committed relationships, including measures far more modest than civil unions or domestic partnerships, which polls have shown have majority public support.

For his part, Senator Raskin is the lead sponsor of the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, which would open civil marriage to same-sex couples, and is one of the strongest new advocates for ending discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Marylanders.

Speaking as the head of Maryland’s LGBT civil rights group and as a constituent, I feel well-served by Senator Raskin’s leadership in Annapolis on civil rights issues for LGBT Marylanders.

Dan Furmansky, Silver Spring

The writer is executive director of Equality Maryland, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization.