MD Delegate Tiffany Alston had a good idea for a bad reason

When I first heard that Maryland Delegate Tiffany Alston wanted to replace marriage with civil unions for all I was hopeful she had a principled reason and that it was an idea that might catch on. I'm still waiting for a state to change the name of the status it grants couples, leaving "marriage" as a religious term or a generic term couples use for themselves. But it soon became clear Del.

Two moms on Maryland birth certificates...not the victory it might sound like

Lambda Legal announced on Friday that Maryland has agreed to put the names of two women on a child's birth certificate if the women are married. That might sound good, but there's a lot wrong with it.Maryland has very bad law on parentage of the partner of a woman who gives birth. (Read my post on the relevant case here). Last year, supportive Maryland legislators were on track to enact a law

Maryland misses the chance to protect the children of same-sex couples

Two years ago, the highest court in Maryland ruled that the state did not recognize "de facto" parents. Thus, when a same-sex couple raises a child as two parents and then splits up, only the parent who gave birth to the child or adopted the child has the right to custody; the other parent is a legal stranger, no different from a relative, friend, or neighbor. The court's opinion invited the

HOW WRONG CAN A COURT BE??

Very wrong, if it's the highest court in Maryland and they are considering same-sex couples raising children. Today the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled that, after the end of an 18 year relationship that included raising a five year old child together, the mom whose name was on the child's adoption decree could exclude the mom whose name wasn't on the decree from the child's life. The court said