Poll finds gains for the freedom to marry in Maryland

As posted by Aaron C. Davis and Jennifer Agiesta on washingtonpost.com:

"Maryland residents are shifting toward a more positive opinion of the freedom to marry, with registered voters now narrowly supporting a law to allow it, a Washington Post poll has found.

"A clear majority of people responding to the poll -- 55 percent -- also say that if gays get married in another state, those unions should be considered legal in Maryland; 38 percent say the state should not recognize them. Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler (D) in February told state agencies to begin granting married same-sex couples from elsewhere the same rights as Maryland's heterosexual couples.

"The poll, conducted May 3-6, finds that 46 percent overall favor legal marriage equality, 44 percent oppose it, and 10 percent have no opinion. Among registered voters, 48 percent are in favor and 43 percent are opposed.

"In late 2007, an identical Post poll question found 44 percent in favor overall and 51 percent opposed.

"Maryland's move away from a clear majority opposition to the freedom to marry -- and into a nearly equally split electorate -- mirrors national trends. The numbers also suggest that Gansler's position is more closely aligned with public opinion than his opponents' views."

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