Local
Equality Maryland board chair dies at 43
Bowling battled several illnesses


M. Scott Bowling (Image courtesy YouTube)
M. Scott Bowling, a longtime LGBT advocate and board chair of the political arm of Equality Maryland, Inc., died at the age of 43 in the Hospice of the Chesapeake in Annapolis on Nov. 19 after battling several life-limiting illnesses, including Crohnās Disease.
Bowling created a blog, itgutsbetter.org, to raise awareness of those who suffer from the disease and need small bowel transplants and chronicling the struggles they endure physically, mentally and financially.
Bowling was born and raised in Prince Georgeās County and, according to Equality Marylandās website, he was an attorney with the Department of Defense and served as president of the Metro Maryland Ostomy Association, Inc. in Silver Spring.
In 2006, Bowling became the first openly gay candidate to run for the State Democratic Central Committee in Anne Arundel County. In 2009, he sought a seat as a Republican on the Annapolis City Council representing Ward 3. He narrowly lost that election in which he alleged that it was tainted by homophobia citing an anonymous and illegal flier circulated around the ward targeting African American voters. Bowling stated that the flier contained specific references to his being āhomosexual.ā It warned that electing such a person would be dangerous to children.
āI am disappointed that in 2009 there are factions within Annapolis that insist on engaging and bringing this type of racist and hate filled activity into our city elections,ā Bowling told Baltimore OUTloud at the time. He filed complaints to the U.S. Attorney General’s Office as well as a Maryland Attorney General’s office as a violation of the Voting Rights Act.
Bowling had also been appointed to and served on several public boards and commissions.
While suffering with his health, Bowling, Equality Marylandās website stated, continued to be an active member of the leadership team at Equality Maryland.
āHe had arranged several fundraisers, secured commitment for items for [last Sundayās] Silent Auctionā all from his bed. Prior to entering in-patient hospice care, ScottĀ volunteered atĀ the polls during early voting.ā
His efforts earned him the initial M. Scott Bowling Courage Award. The award was presented at the hospice on Nov. 11 by Carrie Evans, executive director of Equality Maryland along with several members of the staff and board members as well as former Annapolis Mayor Josh Cohen.
A video of the presentation was shown at Equality Marylandās Signature Brunch, which honored Gov. Martin OāMalley as well as Bowling. He was able to watch that part of the program, which included a musical performance by Troy Koger and remarks by Bowlingās husband David Miller.
Bowling and Miller married in Washington D.C. in July 2010.
āAnybody that knows Scott knows he lived with chronic illness most of his life and absolutely refused to be defined by that illness,ā Miller told the Capital Gazette.
On her Facebook page, Evans posted, āTonight I lost a dear friend. I am trying to remember that I have only lost his physical presence because I can never lose the presence he has in my heart. Scott leaves me a better person than he found me. He has left me with the lessons of how to fully live your life ā every single minute; and what it means to love the life you have and the people in it and to keep on fighting even when, and especially when, you want to stop. My dear Scott, may we always remember all that you gave us.ā
Miller told the Blade that donations in Scottās memory can be made to any of the following: Equality Maryland, the Metro Maryland Ostomy Association, Evolve Chesapeake or Chesapeake Creation Spirituality Community. Plans for a celebration of life memorial service have not been finalized.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTgwjUhhzm4
Virginia
Va. House approves Ebbin resolution to repeal marriage amendment
Proposal passed with Republican support

The Virginia House of Delegates on Thursday approved gay state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria)’s resolution that seeks to repeal a state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
The resolution passed by a 58-33 vote margin. State Del. Chris Obenshain (R-Montgomery County) is among the Republicans who supported it.
“Glad to report that SJ 249, my constitutional amendment to protect marriage equality, has passed the House of Delegates with bipartisan support,” said Ebbin after the vote.
The House last month approved a similar resolution that gay state Del. Mark Sickles (D-Fairfax County) introduced.
Voters approved the Marshall-Newman Amendment in 2006.
Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Virginia since 2014. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin last year signed a bill that codified marriage equality in state law.
The General Assembly in 2021 approved a resolution that seeks to repeal the Marshall-Newman Amendment. It must pass in two successive legislatures before it can go to the ballot.
District of Columbia
Protests against Trump executive orders to take place in D.C. on Thursday
Demonstrations will happen outside attorney general’s office, Kennedy Center

The Trump-Vance administration has taken an aggressive stance against the LGBTQ community by passing executive order after executive order that restricts the ability of transgender people to exist. In response, LGBTQ activists in Washington will take to the streets on Thursday to protest the slew of actions the White House has undertaken.
In back-to-back protests, demonstrators will rally against a federal ban on gender-affirming care for minors, followed by a protest at the Kennedy Center condemning a newly imposed ban on drag performances at the venue.
The first protest of the day will take place outside the D.C. Attorney General’s Office (400 6th St., N.W.) to oppose Trump’s executive order banning gender-affirming care for minors. Originally scheduled for the previous day but postponed due to snow, the protest will run from 12-2 p.m. Organizers aim to pressure D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb and Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Wayne Turnage to join 15 other states in issuing official public guidance against the order and declaring it unlawful.
Under the D.C. Human Rights Act, passed by the D.C. City Council in 1977, discrimination based on gender identity and expression is explicitly prohibited. The law defines gender identity and expression as āa gender-related identity, appearance, expression, or behavior of an individual, regardless of the individualās assigned sex at birth.ā Trumpās executive order, officially titled the āProtecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilationā order, directly violates this act by banning all forms of gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth, effectively preventing them from accessing medical care necessary for their transition.
The 15 other statesā that objected to the order include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
This protest was organized by the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America Bodily Autonomy Working Group, which focuses on āthe fight for queer, trans, and feminist liberation and against systems of patriarchal capitalist oppression that devalue women and LGBTQIA+ people, under the guidance of reproductive justice.ā
Organizers encourage protesters to bring friends and signs to get their voices heard.
The second protest of the day will take place in Washington Circle in between the Foggy Bottom and West End neighborhoods to protest Trumpās takeover of the Kennedy Center. Trump removed all 18 members that former President Joe Biden appointed to the Kennedy Center board and has started installing Trump loyalists into their roles.
The sudden board shake-up was first announced on Truth Social, Trumpās social media platform, as a response to what he called the boardās lack of āvision for a Golden Age in arts and culture.ā Many found this statement puzzling, given that Trump has openly admitted he has never attended a performance at the nonpartisan arts center.
The āTrans & Queer Dance Party and Protest,ā which will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the circle only a few blocks from the Kennedy Center, is an attempt by six DC based organizations to show the Trump administration that āas D.C. residents, we say the Kennedy Center is our house, and weāre not going to let fascists tell us what to do or censor our artists.ā The collaborating organizations encourage supporters of art, drag, the Kennedy Center, and the LGBTQ community to show up in āour best (warm) looksā to let the administration know that D.C. will not be silenced.
Richard Grenell, a gay man who served as Trumpās ambassador to Germany in his first term, was given the title of āinterim executive directorā of the Kennedy Center, tasked with realigning the arts center to better fit Trumpās agenda. The announcement initially caused confusion because before this announcement, there had never been an acting director, but a president elected by the board.Ā Ā
His agenda so far includes banning any performances in the famous performing arts center, including “Dancing Queens Drag Brunch,” “A Drag Salute to Divas,” and āDixie’s Tupperware Party,ā which were put on at the Kennedy Center and aimed at adults.
This protest was organized through a collaboration of six local left-leaning organizations. They include the DC Dyke March, Harrietās Wildest Dreams, Occupation Free DC, Good Trouble Cooperative, and Claudia Jones School.
For more information on the trans gender-affirming care protest, visit https://actionnetwork.org/events/schwalb-trans-rally or https://mdcdsa.org/. For more information on the Kennedy Center dance party protest, visit any of the organizers’ Instagram pages.
District of Columbia
Bill to repeal D.C. home rule would jeopardize LGBTQ rights: activists
Measure introduced by homophobic lawmakers

U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn) on Feb. 6 introduced legislation in the Senate and House calling for repealing the D.C. Home Rule Act, which would eliminate the cityās limited home rule government with a mayor and city council.
The two lawmakers named the bill the āBringing Oversight to Washington and Safety to Every Resident Actā or the āBOWSER Act,ā saying in a statement that D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser was responsible, in part, for leaving āour nationās Capital in crime-ridden shambles.ā
Lee and Robles each received a ā0ā rating, the lowest possible rating, on the Human Rights Campaignās Congressional Scorecard, which assesses the record of members of Congress on LGBTQ related issues.
Most political observers point out that far-right Republican lawmakers have introduced similar bills in the past, including one in 2024, which have died in committee with little support.
Both Democratic and some Republican lawmakers expressing opposition to the previous bills noted that under the existing D.C. Home Rule Act, Congress retains full authority to reject any legislation passed by the D.C. Council and signed by the mayor. They note that Congress also retains authority to impose any law it wishes on D.C.
But some observers, including LGBTQ rights advocates, say the prospects of the current bill could go further with the current GOP-controlled Congress and at a time when President Donald Trump raised the issue of alleged āout of controlā crime in D.C. during his presidential campaign. Trump has said he plans to issue one or more executive orders targeting D.C. home rule.
The bill introduced by Lee and Ogles does not address or propose who or what federal entity would operate D.C.ās local government after the Home Rule Act of 1973 is repealed. The two-page-long bill states, āEffective on the date that is 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the District of Columbia Home Rule Act (Public Law 93-198) is repealed.ā
Prior to the passage of the Home Rule Act of 1973, which Congress approved under the administration of then-President Richard Nixon, the city was governed by a commission whose members were appointed by the U.S. president and approved by Congress. A ācommissioner-mayorā appointed by the president served as the head of the commission.
LGBTQ rights activists believe a similar type of governing body under the current Republican Congress and the Trump administration could pose a threat to the LGBTQ rights laws currently on the books in D.C., including the cityās Human Rights Act, which bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
āRepeal of Home Rule at this time can only be a negative for the LGBTQ community, especially the transgender community, because of the virulent antagonism toward that community of the MAGA Republicans in control of Congress,ā according to D.C. gay Democratic activist Peter Rosenstein.
Howard Garrett, president of the Capital Stonewall Democrats, D.C.ās largest local LGBTQ political organization, also expressed concern that repeal of D.C. home rule would pose a threat to the local LGBTQ community.
āRepealing D.C. home rule would be a direct attack on our cityās ability to govern itself and protect the rights of all residents, especially the LGBTQ+ community,ā Garrett told the Washington Blade. āWashington, D.C. has been a leader in advancing LGBTQ+ rights, from nondiscrimination protections to access to affirming healthcare,ā he said. āIf Congress were to strip away our autonomy, it would leave us vulnerable to reactionary policies that do not reflect the values of our residents.ā
Garrett added, āThis latest attempt to revoke home rule is nothing more than political interference that undermines democracy.ā
In a joint statement released on the day they introduced their D.C. home rule repeal bills, Lee and Ogles denounced what they called a āradically progressive regimeā of Bowser and the City Council.
āWashington is now known for its homicides, rapes, drug overdoses, violence, theft, and homelessness,ā Ogles said n the statement. āBowser and her corrupt Washington City Council are incapable of managing the city,ā he said.
Lee stated, āThe corruption, crime, and incompetence of the D.C. government has been an embarrassment to our nationās capital for decades. It is long past time that Congress restored the honor of George Washington to the beautiful city which bears his name.ā
Daniel Solomon, co-founder of D.C. Vote, a local nonpartisan group that advocates for D.C. statehood, said in a statement that supporters of the home rule repeal bill were putting out misleading information about crime in D.C.
āMake no mistake: This bill is a thinly veiled attempt to punish D.C. for political differences under the guise of public safety,ā he said. āWe all agree that public safety is paramount, but dismantling home rule will do nothing to make our communities safer,ā his statement continues.
āInstead, it will silence the voices of D.C. residents and threaten the progress weāve made on criminal justice reform, economic growth, and local accountability,ā he said.
Bowser, who has declined to comment specifically on the current bill to repeal D.C. home rule, has pointed out that violent crime in D.C. dropped by 35 percent from 2023 to 2024 and property related crime declined by 11 percent during that same period.
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