Penny Nicholas at marriage equality senate hearing

>>Penny Nicholas: Good Afternoon. Thank you Chairman Frost, thank you
Vice Chair Gladden, members of this committee. I reside in Prince
Georges County, the city of Bowie, and I am here today taking a stand
as a strong, steadfast, straight mother. And I am speaking on behalf of
other steadfast, straight mothers, white, black, or blended. To implore
you, to hold you to your oath to protect rights of all citizens of
Maryland. As a devoted mother, I known my daughter was gay since she
was in the second grade. She struggled during her adolescence to
acknowledge it to herself. And when she finally said to me at the age
of sixteen, “Mom, I’m Gay,” I shocked her with my response for I hugged
my daughter and I said, “I’m so proud of you for being your authentic
self.” She told me her concerns about the obstacles she would face, and
as one who has endured illegal discrimination and unjust actions, I
want my lesbian daughter to live in a just world without any barriers
to the American pursuit. Now a sophomore at Drexel University, the only
obstacle my lesbian daughter should face is her mothers rule is that
she cannot marry under she receives her degrees. [Laughter]
I am not gay, but I birthed a gay daughter. I don’t know who is outer
and prouder, she or I. I think I am outer and prouder. Too many
preachers pray, they pray for the injustice to continue. And that be
their right, they have the right to pray in this building. But this
building is a government building. Please stay focused on your duty to
enact and uphold the laws and rights of those too long denied. We
mothers, straight, gay, black, white or blended, can no longer tolerate
our gay daughters and sons being denied their birth right, their human
right, their civil right, their legal right to marry here in the state
of Maryland. Yes Senators, you can look at me and see that I am a child
of a Bi-racial couple. How can you allow the injustice to continue
about who now has a right to marry? Be courageous, be righteous, be
senators, pass this bill.