The following letter was sent to all members of the Maryland General Assembly:
Dear Delegate Michael G. Summers:
UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO fully supports legislation to allow gay and lesbian couples the right to marry in Maryland.
Families, no matter their demographics, deserve the right to protect their family interests.
Without the freedom to marry, gay and lesbian couples do not receive the same recognition or protections for their families as other couples.
“Marriage” gives protections and recognition to everyone – in hospital emergency rooms, funeral homes, and when discussing benefits with employers; while “civil unions” and “domestic partnerships” are not always recognized.
This is a civil rights issue, not a religious issue.
At one time, the State of Maryland refused to allow interracial marriage or to recognize interracial marriages from other states as “legal.” African Americans were treated as second-class citizens. Those restrictions are long gone. Yet we are still forcing the same second class status on gay and lesbian Marylanders by refusing their right to marry.
It’s time to let our prejudices go. I urge you to support full equality for Maryland’s lesbian and gay couples.
Sincerely,
Gino Renne
President
UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO