Supporters of gay marriage bill gather outside the Maryland State House (Photo: TBD Staff)

The forced retreat on a bill that would bring marriage equality to Maryland exposed deep divisions among Democrats in the House of Delegates, divisions that one Annapolis veteran said may be slow to heal.

As lawmakers debated the bill for the better part of three hours Friday, the fault lines were plain. Republicans and many African-American Democrats opposed the measure. White Democrats supported it.

And the basis for the opposition was clear: Although backers of marriage equality insist that their struggle is part of the country's long push for civil rights, African-American lawmakers disagreed. In remarkably unvarnished terms, they said in floor speeches that "the black church" -- an influential moral voice and source of organizational strength in the push for black civil rights -- was fired up and pressuring them to vote no.

Del. Cheryl Glenn, an African-American Democrat from Baltimore, said, "The black churches have never asked us for anything, and they are asking us now, 'Don't do this.'"

Del. Jay Walker, a black Democrat from Prince George's, told lawmakers his constituents and the churches in his district were united in their belief that marriage should remain as it is. "I cannot vote against my base," he said, invoking a term usually used in political -- not policy -- discussions.

After the vote, I talked with Maryland residents who travelled to Annapolis to see the drama play out firsthand.

Prince Georgian Irene Huskens told me she was "very disappointed" but not surprised by the outcome. "In the black community, it's not accepted," she said. "Now we have the opportunity to pull more people together."

Barbara Stiegler, a Baltimore County woman who is active in the Family Protection Lobby, said she was "absolutely amazed, happy, rejoicing" that the bill died. "There's been a lot of prayer going on," she remarked.

The demise of the gay marriage bill in Maryland will, for some, be reminiscent of what happened in California, where, many believe, the black Democrats who came out in droves to support Barack Obama in 2008 helped defeat Proposition 8, a gay marriage measure. Gay community organizers came out of that experience determined to improve their outreach among African-Americans, and the same sort of thinking is taking place now here.

Speaker Mike Busch's decision to have the bill yanked from the floor was made with an eye toward the future, sources say. Busch, an Anne Arundel Democrat who supports marriage equality, didn't want to harden the no votes by forcing a recorded roll call. Now conversations aimed at winning over the last remaining votes can continue, though the measure may be dead for this year.

Some white lawmakers are mystified by the hold the black church has on their colleagues. And in private conversations they wonder whether ministers who rail against the "evil" of gay marriage might spend their time more wisely working to shore up the black family. The most recent statistics show that 72 percent of black children are born out of wedlock.

To be determined is whether backers of same-sex marriage will find ways to retaliate. "You kill my bill, I kill yours" is an ancient game in Maryland. Will Montgomery lawmakers, for example, remember what happened Friday when their friends from Prince George's come calling? We'll see. A Democrat who once served in the Assembly told me, "This is a big-time win for Republicans."

As a political matter, everyone knows this issue is headed for referendum if it ever makes it out of the General Assembly, as many think it still will, eventually. If the referendum takes place in 2012, expect a battle royal for public opinion. That's because President Obama's bid for a second term will boost black turnout.