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Maryland Senate approves transgender rights bill

Measure passed by 32-15 vote margin

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Rich Madaleno, Maryland, Democratic Party, Montgomery County, gay news, Washington Blade

Rich Madaleno, Maryland, Democratic Party, Montgomery County, gay news, Washington Blade

Maryland state. Sen. Rich Madaleno introduced Senate Bill 212 (Washington Blade file photo by Jeff Surprenant)

ANNAPOLIS, Md.–The Maryland Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that would ban discrimination based on gender identity and expression in the state.

The measure passed by a 32-15 vote margin after senators debated on its third reading for less than 20 minutes.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller (D-Prince George’s and Calvert Counties) voted for Senate Bill 212 – the Fairness for All Marylanders Act of 2014 – alongside state Sens. Joanne Benson (D-Prince George’s County), James Brochin (D-Baltimore County), Joan Carter Conway (D-Baltimore City), Ulysses Currie (D-Prince George’s County), Brian Feldman (D-Montgomery County), Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City), Jennie Forehand (D-Montgomery County), Brian Frosh (D-Montgomery County), Lisa Gladden (D-Baltimore City), Verna Jones-Rodwell (D-Baltimore City), Edward Kasemeyer (D-Baltimore and Howard Counties), Delores Kelly (D-Baltimore County), Nancy King (D-Montgomery County), Allan Kittleman (R-Howard County), Katherine Klausmeier (D-Baltimore County), Rich Madaleno (D-Montgomery County), Roger Manno (D-Montgomery County), Nathaniel McFadden (D-Baltimore City), Thomas Middleton (D-Charles County), Karen Montgomery (D-Montgomery County), C. Anthony Muse (D-Prince George’s County), Douglas Peters (D-Prince George’s County), Paul Pinsky (D-Prince George’s County), Catherine Pugh (D-Baltimore City), Victor Ramirez (D-Prince George’s County), Jamie Raskin (D-Montgomery County), James Robey (D-Howard County), James Rosapepe (D-Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties), Norman Stone (D-Baltimore County), Ronald Young (D-Frederick and Washington Counties) and Robert Zirkin (D-Baltimore County).

Kittleman, who is the only Republican who voted for the measure, said he hopes “people realize this is a fairness issue.”

“It is not our job to discriminate,” added Kelly before the vote. “The bill is carefully crafted. The definitions are clear”

State Sens. John Astle (D-Anne Arundel County), David Brinkley (R-Carroll and Frederick Counties), Richard Colburn (R-Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot and Wicomico Counties), James DeGrange, Sr., (D-Anne Arundel County), Roy Dyson (D-Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s Counties), George Edwards (R-Alleghany, Garrett and Washington Counties), Joseph Getty (R-Baltimore and Carroll Counties), Barry Glassman (R-Harford County), Stephen Hershey, Jr. (R-Caroline, Cecil, Kent and Queen Anne’s Counties), Nancy Jacobs (R-Cecil and Harford Counties), J.B. Jennings (R-Baltimore and Harford Counties), James Mathias, Jr., (D-Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester Counties), Edward Reilly (R-Anne Arundel County), Christopher Shank (R-Washington County) and Bryan Simonaire (R-Anne Arundel County) voted against SB 212.

Simonaire before the vote questioned the measure’s definitions of public accommodations and gender identity. The Anne Arundel County Republican also sought additional religious protections in SB 212 that Raskin maintained already exist.

“The intent of this bill is discrimination,” said Simonaire. “There is an absence of religion.”

“Huge day for transgender rights in Maryland”

Madaleno, who introduced SB 212, applauded its passage.

“Today marks a historic milestone in the continued fight to advance equal rights for all Marylanders,” he said in a statement. “The Senate’s passage of the Fairness for All Marylanders Act sends a reaffirming message throughout our state that regardless of whom you are, prejudice and discrimination will no longer be tolerated or exempted from law. With these new anti-discrimination protections for transgender persons one step closer to full passage.”

“Today is a huge day for transgender rights in Maryland,” added Equality Maryland Executive Director Carrie Evans. “With their vote, 32 Senators stood up to say no one should be denied the opportunity to work for a living, secure housing or eat lunch at a restaurant just because of their gender identity.”

Gender Rights Maryland Executive Director Dana Beyer, who announced her candidacy against Madaleno in January, specifically applauded her opponent in a statement after senators approved the measure. She also praised Frosh, who chairs the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, former Equality Maryland Executive Director Dan Furmansky and “the trans community who came every year to Annapolis to lobby and tell their stories.”

“After eight years of struggle, and with the active support of Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr., and the legislative magic of Sen. Jamie Raskin, a comprehensive gender identity anti-discrimination bill has passed in the Senate,” said Beyer.

Frosh described Madaleno as “the best leader for gender equality and LGBT rights in the country” as he discussed the measure’s passage with the Washington Blade after the vote.

“It was the forceful but quiet leadership of Jamie and Rich,” said Frosh. “The fact it came up and got almost no debate was remarkable. The fact it got 32 votes was astonishing.”

Human Rights Campaign State Legislative Director Sarah Warbelow, Vann Michael of Black Transmen, Inc., and Free State Legal Project Executive Director Aaron Merki are among those who also applauded SB 212’s passage.

“As a transgender woman, I know that this is one huge step forward for transgender people who only want to fully participate in public life, without fear of discrimination based on gender identity,” said Jenna Fischetti of the Maryland Coalition for Trans Equality. “Today the Maryland Senate said loud and clear that every Marylander deserves equal rights.”

SB 212 last month cleared a major hurdle when the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee approved the measure by a 8-3 vote margin.

Baltimore City and Baltimore, Montgomery and Howard Counties currently include gender identity and expression in their non-discrimination laws. Hyattsville in December became the first jurisdiction in Prince George’s County to pass a trans-inclusive anti-discrimination ordinance.

Neighboring Delaware is among the 17 states along with D.C. and Puerto Rico that ban discrimination based on gender identity and expression. Lawmakers in Pennsylvania, New York and other states have introduced similar measures.

The Maryland House of Delegates Health and Government Operations Committee on Wednesday is scheduled to hold a hearing on a trans rights bill that state Del. Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore City) introduced. The chamber approved a similar measure in 2011.

All three Democratic gubernatorial candidates – Lieutenant Gov. Anthony Brown, Attorney General Doug Gansler and state Del. Heather Mizeur (D-Montgomery County) – support SB 212.

“Today 32 Senators voted against gender discrimination and for what is just and fair,” Gansler told the Blade in a statement. “I congratulate all who worked so hard, led by Senator Madaleno, for the passage of this milestone legislation.”

“Today, the Senate took a huge step forward in our path to equality under the law for all Marylanders,” added Mizeur, who testified in support of SB 212 last month before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. “No one in our state should face discrimination, period. Now let’s get it done in the House.”

Brown on Wednesday is expected to testify in support of Clippinger’s bill on behalf of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s administration.

“He sees this legislation as a critical step forward towards making sure that every Marylander no matter who they are, where they are, what their background is is treated fairly,” Brown’s spokesperson, Matt Verghese, told the Blade.

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World Pride 2025

Pabllo Vittar to perform at WorldPride

Brazilian drag queen, singer, joined Madonna on stage in 2024 Rio concert

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Pabllo Vittar (Screen capture via Pabllo Vittar/YouTube)

A Brazilian drag queen and singer who performed with Madonna at her 2024 concert on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach will perform at WorldPride.

The Capital Pride Alliance on Thursday announced Pabllo Vittar will perform on the Main Stage of the main party that will take place on June 7 at DCBX (1235 W St., N.E.) in Northeast D.C.

Vittar and Anitta, a Brazilian pop star who is bisexual, on May 4, 2024, joined Madonna on stage at her free concert, which was the last one of her Celebration Tour. Authorities estimated 1.6 million people attended.

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District of Columbia

$3.7 billion RFK stadium proposal draws support from Team DC

Washington Commanders ‘proud’ to champion LGBTQ community

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The long-suffering RFK Stadium will be razed to make way for a new domed facility that could one day host the Super Bowl. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Miguel Ayala, president of the D.C. LGBTQ sports organization Team D.C., has expressed support for the $3.7 billion deal reached between Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Washington Commanders football team to bring the team back to D.C. in a redeveloped site on the grounds of the city’s long shuttered RFK stadium.

With the deal calling for the city to provide $1 billion in taxpayer funds for infrastructure related costs for the massive redevelopment project — and with the Commanders to provide the remaining $2.7 billion — as of this week the deal did not have majority support on the D.C. Council, which must vote to approve it.

Ayala’s support for the project on behalf of Team D.C. raises the question of whether members of the city’s influential LGBTQ community might play some role in urging the D.C. Council to approve the project.

The proposal comes at a time when the Washington Commanders team includes a message of support for the LGBTQ community on its website. The message follows its hosting last October of its 4th annual LGBTQ Pride Night Out at the Commanders game against the Cleveland Browns.

“The Washington Commanders are proud to champion the LGBTQ+ community and its allies,” the team states on its website. “Through the unifying power of sports, we aim to create a culture where all feel welcome and celebrated.”

In a statement released to the Washington Blade, Ayala points out that the Commanders are among every D.C.-based professional sports team that hosts a Pride Night Out event, which Team DC helps to organize.

“Each year, our events have grown stronger, with vibrant tailgates, on-field celebrations, and powerful moments that shine a spotlight on our community,” Ayala said. “We can’t wait to kick off our first Night Out at the Commanders Stadium in 2030.”

He was referring to plans by the Commanders organization and the D.C. mayor’s office to have the stadium deal approved by the D.C. Council in July, with construction of the new stadium to begin then, and with a planned completion in time for the 2030 professional football season.

Ayala also points out that the RFK stadium grounds currently serve as home to LGBTQ-related sports activity, including the D.C. Gay Flag Football League and the D.C. Front Runners group. He added that the RFK grounds will serve as the playing fields for this year’s WorldPride Capital Cup sports competition, where LGBTQ rugby and soccer teams from around the world will compete.

“This new stadium will be more than just a field – it will be a powerful new addition to the vibrant, diverse, and proud communities we champion every day,” he said in his statement.

At an April 28 news conference, Bowser, Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris and other city officials provided details of the stadium project, noting that it includes a massive development of the new stadium and the surrounding 180 acres of land.

In addition to the 65,000-seat domed stadium, officials said the project would include 5,000 to 6,000 residential housing units, with 30 percent designated as “affordable” for low- and moderate-income residents. They said the project would also include parks and recreation areas, hotels, restaurants, retail, and neighborhood amenities.

“As we focus on the growth of our economy, we’re not only bringing our team home, but we’re also bringing new jobs and new revenue to our city and to Ward 7,” Bowser said in a statement

Opponents of the project, including D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large), have said they don’t believe the city should use its own funds for a stadium and the related development. 

So far, just four Council members have expressed support for the project. Mendelson and two other Council members have expressed opposition, and the remaining five have not yet said whether they would vote for or against it. The project needs seven of the current 12-member Council for it to be approved.

Council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5), the Council’s only gay member, who initially had not taken a position on the proposal, this week said he was looking at the project more favorably, according to news media reports. 

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District of Columbia

Welcome home: DC LGBTQ Center opens its doors to healing and hope

The 6,671 square foot DC LGBTQ Center will offer a wide range of resources for LGBTQ individuals in need – including mental health services, job readiness programs, cultural events, and community support groups, all under one roof.

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The D.C. Center (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

On a sunny spring day in Washington’s Shaw neighborhood, the once empty Holzbeierlein Bakery warehouse now showcases energy, pride, and the sounds of chosen family coming closer together. After years in a less-than-perfect space on 14th Street, the DC LGBTQ community finally has a new home at the DC LGBTQ Center—and Executive Director Kimberley Bush says it’s more than a building. It’s a promise.

That promise, Bush explained to the Washington Blade on April 26—the day of the new LGBTQ Center’s opening—may change depending on who is being uplifted by the DC Center, but at its core remains the same goal: a thriving LGBTQ community in the nation’s capital. The commitment to the DC LGBTQ community is able to grow more connected and stronger, she explained, as more resources, space, and funding become available for the DC Center.

“This is a glorious home,” Bush said, beaming as groups of community members walked in under the giant inflatable rainbow at the Center’s doors. “It’s our new home. Today was a whole day of welcome home. This space has been an amazing endeavor for a long time, one that we’ve always known we’ve needed. This is space that we need for our LGBT siblings in need—and it’s amazing when your intentions match your efforts.”

The DC Center has long worked to “educate, empower, uplift, celebrate, elevate, and connect” the LGBTQ community from its former location at the Reeves Center. But now, in its new space at 1828 Wiltberger St., N.W., these efforts are more visible, accessible, and impactful than ever before.

“This space is a model that is new, that we are creating,” Bush said as groups of DC Center supporters chatted with Etta James’s “At Last” filling the hallways. “There is, I believe, no other LGBTQ+ community center in the country that not only has its own life and supportive services in its building, but is also co-housed with other organizations. A lot of community centers try and do it all, but that’s not what we wanted. We wanted to be able to bring everybody together under one roof, to be able to have that whole life supportive services center like one-stop shopping. We didn’t want to take over anything anyone else did. We don’t want to take away the dollars those organizations have to do what they do for the community. We want us all to be together. So that’s what we are. We’ve been able to now expand into almost 7,000 square feet of space.”

(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The new DC Center features a variety of functional spaces designed to meet the diverse needs of the LGBTQ community. It includes office space for up to nine additional partner organizations, creating a hub for collaboration and support. Local and integral LGBTQ organizations like SMYAL, Team DC, and HIPS are some of the groups taking advantage of the space.

“People can be spread out,” Bush said about the opportunity for these LGBTQ-specific organizations to have a dedicated office in the Center. “We are on a grander scale, so we have a grander number of individuals that we can positively and effectively take care of. We [as members of the DC LGBTQ Center] can’t provide everything someone needs, but we can be an outpost for other organizations. Because we’ve expanded, we are able to expand the love, kindness, and support we can give our siblings.”

Additional support, Bush explained, is made possible by the intentional design of the new DC Center. Specialized rooms meet critical needs—from an HIV and STI testing room to therapy spaces and a boutique offering professional attire for job interviews. While the DC Center may not provide every service directly, it offers a shared space where partner organizations can step in and support the community—all under one roof.

“Often people are not able to go here, here, and here, to get what those gaps in life are creating,” she said. “To bridge them in one space just gives that person the opportunity to have less on their heart and their mind in regards to what they need to take care of themselves.”

In addition to being able to provide a space for instrumental elements of protecting the safety and well-being of the DC LGBTQ community, the Center also has a food pantry, a boutique with a clothing closet, an ADA-accessible shower, a mailroom to assist those without a permanent address, and a spacious kitchen.

This, she explained, is why this space is so monumental to providing the DC LGBTQ community the resources they need in a succinct and approachable way.

(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

“By bridging those gaps and having as much as we can here means you’re in one space to get your needs met,” she added. “From sexual health needs, in terms of testing, counseling, and what have you, to mental and behavioral health needs. You can get food, you can get clothing, you can shower. You can store some of your things here. That is such an ease off of your mind to where now you can breathe.”

After stepping into the Center’s director role in 2022, Bush said that she often sees her “siblings” within the community make a better life for themselves starting by walking through the front doors. Sometimes the following steps take more time and resources than for others, but regardless of what it takes, Bush emphasized the goal is to alleviate some stress and make tomorrow an approachable reality.

“I have the amazing opportunity to interact with our community members, our siblings, on a regular basis,” she said. “Often I see them when they first walk in our door. Sometimes they walk in unhappy, sometimes devastated, or they walk in not in a good space. When they come in and invite us in to hear their stories, when they want to share what’s going on with them so we can learn how to best care, love, and support them, it’s incredible. We make a POA, a plan of action, outlining how to take care of them and what that’s going to take.”

Walking through the Center, it is hard to not notice the smiles coming from everyone’s faces—from volunteers, board members, community members, and those seeking assistance. The DC Center, with its rainbow murals and shining floors, has become a beacon of hope for many LGBTQ Washingtonian residents in need. For some, Bush explained, that can be as simple as having a space for solace in a city that seems to have no shortage of stressors.

“The space is made for anyone who’s in need, and even if you’re not,” she said. “This is a place for you to come and be peaceful. A place for you to come and have a cup of tea, not to pay a thing, or have to talk to anybody. You can just sit here and have a cup of tea.”

The more she spoke about the space, it became clear that providing a space for LGBTQ people to be is just as important as providing spaces for the services to take place. The DC LGBTQ Center invites people to not only find what they need to make themselves better in a literal sense but also allows them to simply exist. It is rare for a city to provide this kind of refuge from the constant motion that life demands. And that can be life-changing, she says.

“I will say, ‘How are you today? How are you feeling today?’ ‘How are you’ and ‘how are you feeling’ are two different things, but I do want to know how you’re feeling. If you don’t answer me, that’s good. You know? That’s perfect,” Bush said. “This space is built for everyone, especially for trans and non-binary folk, and for our brown and Black folk. It’s a space for those who just need a space to be.”

In a world that often erases or overlooks LGBTQ people, especially trans, non-binary, Black, and brown community members, the simple act of being seen and cared for can be revolutionary. The DC Center aims to be a place for LGBTQ people to be themselves—not to force them to prove anything or lead them to speak, but to truly be themselves. That quiet affirmation of ‘allowing to be’ can plant the seed to a better, more authentic life.

(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

“One thing that I love to hear, and it makes me feel so good, because they say it in a way that’s just like you and I would say it, or anyone would say it, but sometimes they may not have thought they would say it. They would say, ‘See you tomorrow. See you later.’ This is a person who may not have had tomorrow in their mind. Where you and I say that all the time, but for a lot of our people, our siblings, who come to us, that may not be a thing for them. But when they come in our doors, receive the care and the love and the support and kindness, but then they walk out and they say, ‘See you tomorrow,’ and we do see them tomorrow! I can tell you that this response not only drives me to do this work, because this is good work and I’m very fortunate and privileged to be here, but it’s hearing that out of someone’s mouth. That’s it. That’s all I need.”

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