Local
Md. trans bill on ‘hold’ in committee
Supporters hopeful Judiciary panel will approve measure Saturday
A committee of the Maryland State Senate voted 6-5 to place a temporary hold on a transgender non-discrimination bill on Friday, adding yet another roadblock to a measure that survived a procedural attempt to kill it one week ago.
The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee approved a request by Sen. Nancy Jacobs (R-Cecil and Harford Counties) to place the hold on the Gender Identity Non-Discrimination Act. Jacobs is one of the bill’s most outspoken opponents.
Sen. Brian Frosh (D-Montgomery County), the committee chair, voted against the hold, but three other committee Democrats joined the three Republican members of the 11-member committee to vote for the hold.
The action prevented the committee from voting to release the bill to the full Senate, which must pass the legislation before the end of the day on Monday, when the Maryland Legislature adjourns for the year.
Frosh’s office said Frosh was expected to allow the committee to vote on the bill on Saturday morning. Supporters said they were hopeful the legislation might reach the Senate floor for a debate and vote on the same day, as originally expected.
The Maryland House of Delegates has already passed the bill, and Gov. Martin O’Malley has said he would sign it.
Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Montgomery County), a member of the Judicial Proceedings Committee and a lead supporter of the bill, told the Blade late Friday that he and others supporting the bill were hopeful that at least two of the Democrats who voted for the hold would vote for the bill on Saturday morning when the committee was expected to meet between 10 and 11 a.m..
“The way I’m reading it now is we have five hard votes ‘yes’ and then there are at least two senators who supported the hold who could still vote for the bill tomorrow,” he said. “So I’m cautiously optimistic that we’ll be headed to the floor tomorrow,” he said.
Others familiar with the committee action identified the two Democrats who voted for the hold and who could vote for the bill as James Brochin and Bobby Zirkin, both Democrats from Baltimore County.
The Judicial Proceedings Committee was originally expected to vote on the measure Friday, one day after it held a two-hour hearing in Annapolis on Thursday in which about 40 witnesses testified for and against the bill.
Among those testifying against it were four transgender activists, including one from New York, who said the bill did not go far enough because it lacks a provision banning discrimination against transgender Marylanders in the area of public accommodations.
The bill’s author and chief sponsor, House of Delegates member Joseline Pina-Melnyk (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel Counties), testified that she reluctantly removed the public accommodations provision from the bill in order to line up enough votes to pass it in a House committee.
Pina-Melnyk has said the bill would have died in committee, as it has for the past four years, if the public accommodations provision remained a part of the legislation.
As currently written, the bill would ban discrimination against transgender people in the area of employment, housing, and credit – including bank loans.
Most transgender activists in Maryland along with the National Center for Transgender Equality and the transgender rights project of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force are supporting the bill. They say they plan to push for the addition of a public accommodations provision as early as next year.
The bill received a further boost Friday morning from the Washington Post, which published an editorial calling on the State Senate to quickly pass the measure as a first step in rectifying longstanding discrimination against transgender people.
“The legislation is a modest, fair and reasonable step in the direction of equal rights for a minority that continues to suffer widespread bias,” the Post said.
Among those testifying in favor of the bill on Thursday was attorney Lisa Mottet, director of the NGLTF transgender rights project.
Longtime transgender rights opponent Ruth Jacobs, head of Citizens for a Responsible Government, emerged as the lead witness against the bill on its merits, saying she opposes any form of anti-discrimination protection based on gender identity.
In a development that surprised some attending the hearing, Zirkin criticized Jacobs’ organization for unleashing a barrage of computer generated “robo-calls” to state residents in the late evening hours over the past few days.
Zirkin — speaking to Jacobs after the hearing recessed — said his family received one of the calls around 3 a.m. on Thursday, which he said disturbed one of his children, according to people who listened to his conversation with Jacobs.
Zirkin was one of the committee members said to be undecided on whether to vote for the gender identity bill.
The bill reached the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee a little more than a week after Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller (D-Calvert and Prince George’s County) diverted it to the Senate Rules Committee, which supporters and opponents viewed as a clear move to kill the bill.
The Rules Committee is widely recognized as a “graveyard” for bills unpopular with the Senate leadership, especially its president.
But Miller relinquished his “hold” on the bill about a week later following what observers viewed as an extraordinary lobbying campaign led by the state LGBT group Equality Maryland and many of its LGBT and straight allies.
The campaign generated a barrage of phone calls and e-mails to Miller’s office complaining that his action went against the democratic principles of allowing legislation to be decided by an up or down vote rather than being killed in committee without a vote.
Supporters were hopeful the bill was back on track when the Judicial Proceedings Committee held its hearing on the measure on Thursday and indicated through Frosh that it would vote on the bill on Friday afternoon.
“This is not good because another day is lost,” said Dana Beyer, a Maryland transgender activist and former House of Delegates candidate from Montgomery County.
But Morgan Meneses-Sheets, Equality Maryland’s executive director, said she was optimistic that the Judicial Proceedings panel would approve the bill Saturday morning, placing it back on track for a full Senate vote over the weekend.
District of Columbia
Hundreds in D.C. rally for ‘trans dignity and justice’
‘We bow down to your charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent’
Before any visible signs of political protest or activism appeared in “America’s Front Yard,” the sounds of cheers, applause, and the faint melody of Madonna’s Vogue echoed through the air, audible from blocks away. As the Capitol came into view and the crowd neared 3rd Street, small groups of people adorned in bright pink, blue, and white gathered along the pebble-covered pathways and the soft, lush grass of the National Mall. The sun peeked in and out of the clouds as the Transgender Day of Visibility Rally began.
Since its official designation in 2009, March 31 has marked International Trans Day of Visibility. This year, with one of the most anti-trans administrations ever holding power in the White House (and in Congress), the urgency of visibility has never been more keenly felt. For those gathered, holding signs and standing in solidarity, this moment was a call to make trans people seen and heard.
The rally, organized by the Christopher Street Project, a trans advocacy group and PAC, brought together nearly 20 Democratic lawmakers on the National Mall to speak out against the Trump-Vance administration’s efforts to erase the trans community.
Tyler Hack, executive director of the Christopher Street Project and one of the driving forces behind the event, took the stage first. The tall, curly haired redhead was perfectly framed against the dome of the Capitol and the increasingly darkening sky — a fitting backdrop to the growing frustration with the lawmakers inside.
As the crowd settled, Hack took a deep breath and began.
“Thank you to the hundreds of people who showed up,” Hack said. “We have buses on their way, we have people who are coming after work, and we’ll make room for those folks as they keep joining us. And thank you to all of you for showing up to celebrate, to make your voices heard and to fight together for trans dignity and justice.”
Hack founded the Christopher Street Project in January as a direct response to President Donald Trump and the far-right’s growing influence — and their attempts to erase the transgender community. As Hack spoke, it became clear that the fight for trans rights was, at its core, a fight for survival.
“We at Christopher Street Project believe that being a Democrat means more than just your party affiliation,” Hack said. “It’s about unapologetic defense of trans people wherever they’re being attacked, and in the face of this massive threat to all of our rights, in the face of what Trump and his billionaire cronies are unleashing. We demand more from the people we elected to protect us. We deserve more, and we say with all of the power that we have, powers have no place in Congress.”
Hack continued, “Our guiding principle is courage; 56 years ago, that courage was demonstrated by the queer and trans people who led the Stonewall riots. My great uncle, Mark Scheer, was one of them. Beaten up in the Stonewall Riots for standing up for people like himself and standing side by side with his trans siblings. It was his courage and the courage of Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera that ensured we would never be erased.”
The crowd, now slowly filling the grassy lawn, erupted in cheers and clapping as Hack introduced the next speaker. Behind them, members of Congress began to exit their cars, re-reading their speeches for a final time while Christopher Street Project volunteers worked to keep the rally moving.
Rabbi Abby Stein, a trans activist and author, took the stage next. Her passionate speech felt like a sermon and a call to action against the transphobic forces in power.
“It is our moral obligation to make sure that we are visible, so that all the people who came before us and the people coming after us will know that who they are is beautiful, that being trans isn’t just OK,” Rabbi Stein said. “It is something that is worthy to celebrate, and it is something that no one in the world can ever take away from you, regardless of how much military or police or physical abuse they try to use on us. A world without trans people never existed and never will, no matter how much they try. We have defeated fascist titans before and we will defeat them again.”
Several speakers at the rally also highlighted the current administration’s disturbing parallels to fascist leaders of history. Democratic Whip Katherine Clark was one of those who called out transphobia and provided the crowd with insight into the Republicans’ strategy.
“Republicans are trying to divide us and distract us so they can funnel more money and more power to a select few,” said Clark, the House Minority Whip (D-Mass). “We’ve been in these moments before, we know the playbook, whether it’s the ’30s in Berlin or the ’60s in New York or right now in Washington, D.C. They distract and divide and scapegoat so they can tear everybody down. This time they’re using this community, our trans community. They want Americans to believe that our LGBTQ neighbors are to blame for the challenges we face as a country. They hope that if we’re focused on all of us, we won’t notice that the Republicans are closing our public schools that they’re defunding Social Security, slashing our health care, firing veterans, increasing costs of housing and groceries and starting trade wars with our allies. And what is the point? What is the point of this reckless agenda to enrich the billionaire class? And it’s all part of one corrupt plot in MAGA America. The 1% have access to wealth, freedom, power and voting rights, but not for the rest of us.”
Other members of Congress addressed Trump’s escalating attacks on the trans community.
“The reason they’re attacking all of these things is because they know what every authoritarian knows: Organized people, organized workers, marginalized people with autonomy and without fear, that’s a threat to their power,” Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) explained. “That’s why they’re coming for our books, our doctors, our teachers, our workers, and especially our trans youth. But they’re not just a talking point.”
“I want to say what’s happening right now, especially to our trans siblings, is cruel,” Lee continued. “It’s bullshit. It is not normal, and we will stand up against it. But this is not just a policy disagreement, it’s not a debate. It’s by design. It’s targeting. And they are purposely going after some of the most marginalized people in our society.”
Lee went on to address the chilling effects of Trump’s anti-trans executive orders on transgender Americans’ lives, particularly in places like Pittsburgh.
“This is what Trump’s anti-trans agenda looks like,” Lee added. “Even without a national ban, the fear, the pressure and the silence they create is doing the work for them. It’s making health care providers hesitate. It’s making institutions retreat. It’s making families feel isolated or abandoned or unsafe, and I just want to say it here, when you make it harder for children to be seen, to be loved, to be treated with dignity. That’s not just a policy failure. That is a moral failure.”
Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) bluntly stated that Trump’s policies will lead to the deaths of LGBTQ people both in the U.S. and abroad, citing the severe consequences of his cuts to foreign aid programs like PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
“His actions and those of Republicans who bend the knee have severe consequences,” Kelly said. “It threw global healthcare programs into chaos, especially PEPFAR. For over 20 years, PEPFAR saved over 26 million lives worldwide, and has been a lifeblood and a lifeline for LGBTQ plus people in the face of stigma and discrimination in many countries, especially in places where being true to yourself comes with immense risk. PEPFAR is the only program that provides HIV prevention, treatment, and care.”
“We are just five years away from ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic,” she added. “Our progress cannot stop.”
The rally ended with an unexpected but powerful appearance by actress, director, and producer Lena Dunham, who spoke about her experiences living with her trans sibling, Cyrus Dunham.
“When I asked my sibling what he might want to hear me say today and what he did not want me to say, which included phrases like ‘boots the house down, mama,’ he made it clear that there would be enough dialogue about what impossible odds are faced right now for the trans community, especially trans youth and trans people of color, and enough conversation about the horrific abuses that the government is attempting to commit and the rights they’re attempting to take away and already in the process of doing,” Dunham shared. “He said, my only job is to express how special, sweet, fab, fun, delightful and divine it is to be embraced by trans people, to live in proximity to trans lives, and to call this community our community.”
“We love you, we see you. We bow down to your charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent, and we are so lucky to love you and to fight with you and for you, to learn from you and to ensure that our rights are inseparable from yours,” the “Girls” star added. “Trans lives don’t just matter. They transform the world into a place of possibility, joy, and discovery.”
As the sun began to set and the rally wound down, Hack reflected on the significance of the event.
“Being resilient in this moment is about continuing to be yourself and continuing to exist, because being a trans person in this moment is, in and of itself, resistance,” they said. “Making sure that folks have the support that they need, being a good ally to those people is resistance and making sure that trans people in your life know that they have your support is critically important, and is the number one way that we can resist these attacks.”
For more information on the Christopher Street Project, visit christopherstreetproject.org.
Maryland
At transgender visibility celebration, Moore called out for lack of action
Trans Maryland Founding Executive Director Lee Blinder criticized governor at event
By PAMELA WOOD | In a ceremonial room at the historic State House on International Transgender Day of Visibility, Lee Blinder stepped to a lectern and did something rare: They called out Gov. Wes Moore for failing to back up his words with action.
Over the course of five minutes, Blinder laid out how the Democratic governor has let down transgender Marylanders by not putting money in the budget and not backing needed policy changes.
“We know who you, Gov. Moore, can be for us. And I am begging you to do it,” Blinder said.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
District of Columbia
Rainbow History Project announces details of WorldPride exhibition
‘Pickets, Protests, and Parades’ to be on display at Freedom Plaza May 19-July 6
D.C.’s Rainbow History Project has announced details of its WorldPride 2025 exhibition called “Pickets, Protests, and Parades: The History of Gay Pride in Washington.”
The non-profit, all-volunteer group, which has been chronicling LGBTQ history in the D.C. area for the past 25 years, says its World Pride Exhibition will be set up from May 27 through July 6 in Freedom Plaza, which is located on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. between 13th and 14th streets.
RHP spokesperson Emma Cieslik said the multi-display exhibition would be open 24 hours every day during that seven-week period with full all-weather and security protection, including illumination for night-time viewing.
“From 1965 to the present day, the exhibition divides D.C.’s LGBTQ+ history into 10 eras that are explored in a visual timeline wall along Pennsylvania Avenue,” according to a statement released by Rainbow History Project. “Alongside the timeline wall are 10 large cubes with archival photos of pickets, protests, and parades, as well as portraits of Community Pioneers who championed each era called the Hero Cubes,” the statement says.
“The exhibition disrupts the popularly held belief that the LGBTQ+ Rights Movement began with the Stonewall Riots in 1969 in New York,” the statement points out.
It adds that while the riots in response to the NYPD raid at the Greenwich Village gay bar Stonewall was a “vital” boost to the LGBTQ rights movement, another historic LGBTQ action in D.C. pre-dates Stonewall – the April 17, 1965 “Picket for Homosexual Rights” in front of the White House that was organized by the Mattachine Society of Washington and its then leader, D.C. gay rights pioneer Frank Kameny.
“RHP recognizes this picket, four years before the Stonewall Riots, where 10 members of the Mattachine Society of Washington marched with signs in front of the White House – as the start of D.C.’s rich queer history,” the statement says.
It says RHP will hold a re-enactment of the 1965 White House homosexual rights picket at 4:15 p.m. on April 17, 2025, on its 60th anniversary.
“This exhibition is the culmination of 25 years of RHP’s work and is the largest in RHP’s history,” the statement added regarding the Freedom Plaza exhibition.
RHP spokesperson Cieslik said the application by Rainbow History Project for a permit for use of Freedom Plaza for the RHP exhibition is in the final stages of approval but had not yet been approved.
Ryan Bos, executive director of D.C.’s Capital Pride Alliance, which is the lead organizer of WorldPride 2025, has said the permit application process for use of U.S. Park Service controlled federal parks and land, such as Freedom Plaza and the National Mall, were moving ahead as planned. Rainbow History Project official Vincent Slatt said RHP, which will have the permit for use of Freedom Plaza, may share some of the plaza space with other WorldPride related events or organizations.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Park Service didn’t immediately respond to a request from the Washington Blade for the status of the Freedom Plaza permit application.
Full details of the Rainbow History Project’s WorldPride exhibition, including photos of the specific exhibits, can be accessed at rainbowhistory.org.
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Celebrate Trans Day of Vision in D.C.
