Gov. O’Malley Signs Bill, Making Maryland The Eighth Marriage-Equality State

Governor Martin O’Malley signed a marriage-equality bill, reports the AP, making Maryland the eighth state in the Union to allow gay marriages.

"More so than equal rights, more so than fairness, more so than justice or injustice, the word that allowed us to move forward was really dignity: The dignity of every home, the dignity of a job, the dignity of work, the dignity of every family, the dignity of every individual," he said. "When we succeed, if this goes to a referendum, I believe it will be because of that evolution of the public discourse."

Opponents have already mobilized to get the nearly 56,000 signatures, and the bill stipulated that marriage wouldn’t go into effect until January 2013, so gay couples in the state will have to hold their breaths to see if the signatures come through.

If they do, voters will decide on the issue in November, and, like Maine, the lawmakers’ marriage-equality bill could be silenced by the will of the public.