Gay-Rights Activists Lobby for Marriage Law in Md.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Gay-rights activists say they're tired of being told to wait for Maryland law to be changed to allow same-sex marriage, and they held a fresh round of lobbying Monday to urge lawmakers to take up the question despite signals gay unions won't come up this term.

This time last year, gay-rights groups were waiting for the state's highest court to decide whether Maryland law allowing only male-female marriages is constitutional. The court ruled last fall that the question would be one for lawmakers, not the courts, but top lawmakers have indicated no marriage or civil union bills would succeed this year.

"It's very frustrating," said Phil Crehan, 21, a college student from Mount Airy who joined about 150 activists for a rally Monday outside the State House. "I feel like it's getting placed on the back burner."

The activists cheered about a dozen lawmakers who attended the rally to lend support, but the activists also said they were tired of waiting for lawmakers to act.

"They can put this marriage bill off this year or next year, but we'll still be here," said the Rev. Andrew Foster Connors of Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church in Baltimore.

There were signals, though, that advocates of same-sex unions won't succeed this term. Delegate Maggie McIntosh of Baltimore, a powerful chairwoman in the House and the highest-ranking gay member of the legislature, told the crowd progress is being made.

"I believe we are getting much closer to having the votes in the House and Senate to pass a marriage equality bill," McIntosh said.

Asked how close, though, McIntosh conceded the matter may not proceed to the governor this year.

"I think in the House we're very close, but I don't know about the Senate," McIntosh said.

A Senate committee was scheduled to start taking up same-sex union proposals on Thursday. The proposals range from a bill to remove gender specifications in state marriage law, thereby allowing gay marriages, to a constitutional amendment banning same-sex unions.

A spokesman for Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley said Monday that O'Malley would support civil unions, but he wouldn't say whether the governor planned to lobby lawmakers to take up some sort of legal recognition for same-sex unions.

"I can't say how active he's going to be one way or the other," Rick Abbruzzese said, and he added, "There will definitely be a dialogue about it."

Even some gay-marriage opponents seemed frustrated there isn't progress on the question. The second-ranking Republican in the House, Delegate Christopher Shank, said he would like to see the legislature take up a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, and he criticized top Democrats for taking a wait-and-see approach.

"Now is not the time to suit them politically, it's not the issue," Shank said. "We're elected to make decisions, and one way or the other, we need to decide."

Equality Maryland director Dan Furmansky said the group was intensifying lobbying efforts and led gay-rights activists in cheers of "Equal Justice Under the Law!"

"Our message is that we're here to stand up for justice and fairness," Furmansky said.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)