The Voice of America website reports today (February 23, 2012) that the state of Maryland is about to join seven other states and the District of Columbia that currently legalize same-sex marriage.
The Maryland state Senate today approved a gay marriage bill by a vote of 25-22, days after the measure passed in the state assembly.
Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley -- a Democrat who sponsored the bill -- has pledged to sign it into law.
Gay marriage is legal in Washington state, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Washington, D.C.
