The marriage equality bill has passed the House of Delegates, 71-67.

       This is what I said during the floor debate:

       I have never been discriminated against because I am a Jew.

       But I stand here today because Thomas Kennedy believed that religious freedom was more important than his political future.  (Delegate Kennedy sponsored the Jew bill, which allowed Jews to serve in the Maryland General Assembly.)

       I stand here today because a man I never met, my grandfather, Samuel Isadore Rosenberg, left Tsarist Russia to come to a land of freedom. 

       I stand here today because Jacob Edelman also fled oppression and became a member of the Baltimore City Council and chair of the Maryland Human Relations Commission. 

        In a society that respects differences, that welcomes the minority, we all benefit.

        I will proudly vote yes on this bill.