Havre de Grace City Councilman to Discuss Same-Sex Marriage

Same-sex marriage may come up at Monday's Havre de Grace City Council meeting, in addition to other questions on this year’s ballot, according to ExploreHarford.com.

Question 6, which centers around same-sex marriage, allows for gay and lesbian couples to obtain civil marriage licenses and protects the rights of religious organizations in choosing what marital ceremonies to recognize.

Councilman Joe Smith, who could be Harford County's only openly gay official, according to ExploreHarford.com, would like "to discuss his support for the measure."

Maryland is one of four states where same-sex marriage is on the ballot this November—Maine, Minnesota and Washington are the others—and in the Free State, supporters of same-sex marriage are leading in the polls, WJZ reported as of Oct. 14. 

"Just in Havre de Grace, we know of probably a dozen or more same-sex couples that live here,” Smith said in an interview with ExploreHarford.com, noting that some went out-of-state to marry.

“My partner and I are hoping to celebrate our 25th year together in 2013 by actually getting married in Maryland,” Smith told ExploreHarford.com. 

As of Monday afternoon, discussion of Question 6 and other referendum items was not on the City Council agenda for Oct. 15, according to an administrator for the city.

See Related:

• Councilman Joe Smith: Being Gay a ‘Non-Issue’
• Meet the Candidate: Joseph Smith

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