Washington - Upon news voters in Maryland passed Question Six affirming marriage equality by popular vote, HRC President Chad Griffin made the following statement:

“Today the marriage equality map expands to Maryland, giving thousands more loving couples the opportunity to make lifelong commitments through marriage.   This is a milestone night for the simple truth that when Americans are presented with the real lives of their friends and neighbors, they have no choice but to vote for their equality.  It is the momentum reflected in poll after poll that shows a growing majority for marriage equality across the country.

“This victory in Maryland has been hard fought from the legislative fight to a massive campaign operation and we are so proud to have been leaders alongside our state partners in this effort.

“Governor O’Malley has been a champion of this issue and deserves the appreciation of all fair-minded Americans.  His leadership, along with groups like the NAACP, have shown that at the end of the day human dignity wins out and that in this country we can have no second-class citizens or second-class marriages.

“Marylanders for Marriage Equality should be proud of their historic win and it’s been an honor for HRC to have been a part of this fight since the beginning.”

HRC contributed more than $2.8 million to advance marriage equality in Maryland.  The organization provided key campaign leadership, critical online and communications support, sent nearly 475,000 emails to marriage equality supporters, and recruited hundreds of volunteers to work for equality.