Last night, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed marriage equality into state law, as reported by ThinkProgress.

Gov. O’Malley made the following statement as he signed the bill:

“[This is] for a free and diverse people, for people of many faiths, for people committed to the principal of religious freedom, the way forward is always found through greater respect for human rights of all, through human dignity for all…We are one Maryland and all of us at the end of the day want the same thing for our children. We want them to live in a loving, caring and committed home that is protected equally under the law.”

O’Malley’s words acknowledge what many of us already know: equality is not something that is for a select few; it’s for everyone, whether we are of different races, genders, faiths, or sexual orientations. In the end, all that matters is our rights as humans.

And, with his signature, Maryland becomes the 8th state (Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Iowa, New York, Washington and Washington D.C.) to legalize same-sex marriage.

Opponents of marriage equality are gearing up for a voter referendum. If the required signature aren’t submitted prior to January 2013, same-sex marriage in Maryland becomes law.

Earlier today, a marriage equality bill passed by a vote of 7-4 in the Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, as reported by ThinkProgress. The measure now heads to the Senate floor, where it is expected to pass. Governor Martin O’Malley has promised to sign the bill into law if it makes it to his desk. This brings us yet another potential victory for marriage equality in the nation.

The New Jersey State Legislature just passed a bill in favor of marriage equality by a vote of 41-33, as reported by the Human Rights Campaign.

As I posted previous, the same bill passed the State Senate a few days ago, and Gov. Chris Christie still promises to veto the bill and call instead for a voter referendum. Voting on civil rights, something I posted about as well is just plain ridiculous and Christie knows it, especially when “54 percent of New Jersey voters support marriage equality, an upswing of nearly ten points in two years.”

If the governor knew what was good for his political future, he wouldn’t waste tax payer time and just sign the bill into law.

Washington State Governor Chris Gregoire signed the Marriage Equality Bill that crossed her desk. Washington State now joins Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Iowa, New York, and Washington D.C. in legalizing same-sex marriage.

“Weddings will commence June 7, if opponents do not have 120,000 signatures to propose a November ballot referendum by June 6,” as reported by Queerty.

Regardless, this is a call for celebration. We are now 7 states down for marriage equality and 43 to go. While that might seem a daunting task (and it is!), we have to look at the progress we’ve made so far. Slowly but surely, we will have nationwide equality. It might take longer in the south (which is par for the course), but I have faith that it will happen.

Earlier today, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals released its ruling that California’s Proposition 8, which banned marriage equality, is unconstitutional, as reported by ThinkProgress.

Here are some snippets from the ruling as released from Judge Stephen Reinhardt:

– All Proposition 8 accomplished was to take away from same-sex couples the right to be granted marriage licenses and thus legally to use the designation of ‘marriage,’ which symbolizes state legitimation and social recognition of their committed relationships. Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples. The Constitution simply does not allow for “laws of this sort.”

– The People may not employ the initiative power to single out a disfavored group for unequal treatment and strip them, without a legitimate justification, of a right as important as the right to marry.

– That designation [of marriage] is important because ‘marriage’ is the name that society gives to the relationship that matters most between two adults. A rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but to the couple desiring to enter into a committed lifelong relationship, a marriage by the name of ‘registered domestic partnership’ does not.

– A law that has no practical effect except to stip one group of the right to use a state-authorized and socially meaningful designation is all the more “unprecedented” and “unusual” than a law that imposes broader changes, and raises an even stronger “interference that the disadvantage imposed is born of animosity toward the class of persons affected.”

Naturally, there’s already speculation that this case will make its way to the Supreme Court of the United States, which also means that the judges will likely not lift the stay on Walker’s ruling. This will prevent same sex marriage from continuing in the state until the matter is fully resolved.

Even so, I’m hopeful. I posted about this possibility back in November, where I talked about the likelihood of the Supreme Court ruling that banning gay marriage would be unconstitutional.

It’s small steps, people. But we are making progress.

Last night, the Washington State Senate passed the marriage equality bill, which will legalize gay marriage in the state, by a vote of 28-21, as reported by ThinkProgress. The measure now heads to the state’s House of Representatives, where it is expected to pass. Once that’s done, Governor Christine Gregoire has promised to sign the bill into law.

According to ThinkProgress, the governor had this to say about the bill’s passage:

Tonight the Washington State Senate stood up for what is right and told all families in our state that they are equal and that the state cannot be in the business of discrimination. I believe that this decision should be made by our state Legislature, and I’m proud our elected leaders recognized that responsibility.

Tonight our families are better for this vote. Our kids have a brighter future for this bill. And our state is better for this bill. I encourage the House to approve this bill and get it to my desk for my signature. I look forward to the day when all Washington citizens have equal opportunity to marry the person they love.”

Though it is likely the bill will be made into law, opponents of marriage equality still plan to get the required signatures to bring the measure before the voters. Still, this looks to be another victory on the road to true equality for all!