Another crazy week, with news in the Prop 8 case and major advances in Washington, Maryland, and New Jersey. And yet another court has slapped down NOM's attempts to hide their donors. This week's Marriage News Watch is here...

In Maryland, 14-year-old Sarah Crank asked lawmakers to vote "no" on marriage equality because "people have the choice to be gay" and she doesn't want to be affected by their choice. But in New Jersey this week, 15-year-old Madison Galluccio testified she should not be forced to feel like an outcast because her parents are gay.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Over the course of four hours on Tuesday, opponents and supporters of same-sex marriage delivered compelling testimony before a Maryland Senate committee in hopes of swaying lawmakers on a landmark bill.

The Maryland Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony on Tuesday from advocates and opponents of the marriage equality bill currently pending in the state legislature, including 14-year-old Sarah Crank, who told legislators that it “would be the best birthday present ever if you would vote no on gay marriage.”

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- More than 300 protesters rallied outside the Maryland State House in Annapolis on Monday evening, listening to ministers and chanting slogans in opposition to a same-sex marriage bill introduced by Gov. Martin O'Malley.

BALTIMORE -- Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley -- who has said legalizing marriage equality is a high priority for his administration -- underscored a need for rational thinking and polite public discourse over the issue in a speech Sunday at the 24th National Conference on LGBT Equality.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- At a gathering on the steps of the governor’s residence in Annapolis, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley on Tuesday called on the state’s residents and lawmakers to join him in supporting his newly drafted same-sex marriage bill.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Maryland's Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley introduced legislation Monday evening aimed at legalizing same-sex marriage in Maryland, making good on his 2010 re-election campaign promise to work toward enacting marriage equality while in office.

TOWSON, Md. -- Montgomery County police chief Thomas Manger says that allegations that rapes and sexual assaults occurred in public restrooms following passage of a transgender accommodation law are "untrue." The assertion comes in response to opposition to a transgender rights bill introduced Tuesday in Baltimore County, Md. -- the bill would protect transgender people and allow use of restrooms according to their gender identity.

Bills calling for legalizing same-sex marriage and banning discrimination against transgender persons are among the hot-button issues set to emerge next week when the Maryland State Legislature begins its 2012 session.

One leading advocate called 2011 an “epic” year for marriage equality. Was it? While only one state -- New York -- enacted full marriage rights for same-sex couples, it was the most populous state to do so. Five other states also moved closer to marriage equality than ever before. Public opinion shifted dramatically towards supporting equality. And the Obama administration announced that it no longer considers a key part of the Defense of Marriage Act constitutional.

George Clooney takes a stand for marriage equality with his latest role. A new study connects anti-gay marriage laws to cardiovascular disease. Republican voters increasingly favor marriage equality, but this week several presidential frontrunners had some particularly unpleasant things to say about LGBTs.

Prop 8's back in court -- but why, exactly? I'll answer all your questions about what's going on this time. Plus, the backstory behind the most effective -- and adorable -- marriage equality video ever made. Prop 8's legal team celebrates a bill in Nigeria that would throw you in prison for over a decade just for witnessing a gay couple getting married. All that, plus robot marriage, and one gay couple looks back on their 50-year romance in a new book.

Two Baltimore County police officers who were denied health benefits for their same-sex spouses, were notified Tuesday that an independent arbitrator had ruled that the county had violated the terms of their police union contract by denying their benefits more than one year ago.

A victory for DOMA repeal in the Senate Judiciary Committee, but now it faces even greater hurdles in the full Senate. An election night victory in Iowa means marriage is safe, for now; but polling in Minnesota shows cause for alarm. Activists raise the stakes in Washington, Maryland, Oregon, and Maine.