Maryland
Carroll County school board prohibits Pride flags
Activists, politicians have sharply criticized policy
The Carroll County Board of Education adopted a policy on Wednesday that prohibits Pride flags from being displayed in schools under its jurisdiction.
Under the new policy, which the board adopted by a 4-1 vote margin, flags that are not specifically included in its language cannot be “flown, posted or affixed” to school buildings and facilities. The language signals that, although the policy does not explicitly mandate a ban on Pride flags, such flags cannot be displayed, as they are not included in the list of flags that the policy permits.
Patricia Dorsey, the only board member to vote against the policy, expressed her disapproval of the measure to the board during the meeting.
“I think that we’re doing them a disservice if we do not include saying that, ‘Yes, let’s just go ahead and have their safe spaces designated by the flags in the classroom,’” Dorsey said.
In public comments made to the school board for their meeting; parents, faculty and members of the community made impassioned arguments against the new policy.
“The students of color and the students of [the] LGBTQ [community] are bullied in this school system on a regular basis,” one public commenter said. “We have students that have come in here and talked to you specifically about the fact that they have tried to commit suicide because of the way they are treated in this school system. I do not find [these to be] acceptable policies.”
However, other members of the public came out in support of the new policy, believing Pride flags to have no place in school spaces.
One parent stated how she believed that the presence of Pride flags and discussions of sexuality and gender identity in the classroom could end up harming students rather than helping them.
“It overstimulates a curiosity that [students] are not remotely able to comprehend yet and could further their curiosities, potentially causing harm to themselves or others out of pure confusion,” the parent said.
The commenter asserted such conversations and displays of support should be kept private and away from the classroom.
“Allies can be made and known and shared in a separate setting with an appointed advocate equipped with the correct resources to properly address these issues with our children who are struggling with them,” she said.
The separation from and neutrality on the topic of Pride flags and discussions in schools has been echoed by multiple members of the board who voted in favor of the policy.
Board member Tara Battaglia told the Washington Blade how she believed voting for the policy would achieve fairness among those in the county’s schools.
“Schools should always be a neutral environment and welcoming to all students,” Battaglia said.
Dorsey and other members of the public who chose to speak during the meeting denied the notion that allowing the display of Pride flags in schools was an inherently political or destructive gesture, framing it, rather, as a gesture of humanity.
“We’ve got students who are saying, ‘See me, see me, look at me for who I am, accept me for who I am,’” Dorsey said.
The adoption of the policy has since gained attention from across the state, with multiple statewide candidates for office responding to the decision.
Former Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler, who is running for governor, took to Twitter the day after the meeting, sharply criticizing the policy.
“This is shameful, regressive, and exactly the wrong message to be sending to our LGBTQ+ youth, who deserve a learning environment that welcomes them for who they are,” Gansler wrote. “Also, this is begging for a constitutional challenge. I call on the school board to reconsider.”
Just hours later, former Democratic National Committee chair and fellow gubernatorial candidate Tom Perez referred to the decision as “utterly disgraceful.”
“Our classrooms — and every community across Maryland — should be a welcoming, safe place that empowers every person to be who they are,” Perez wrote. “At a time when our LGBTQ+ youth face incredible challenges, we need to do all we can to support them.”
As concerns among national and state advocates rise over the future of LGBTQ students’ access to affirming spaces and conversations in schools, advocates in Carroll County and around the country continue to convey a message of humanity.
“We’ve heard a lot of voices from the students that we really do have to acknowledge,” Dorsey said. “Let’s just see them, let’s hear them and let’s validate them for who they are.”
Maryland
FreeState Justice to lose more than $300K in federal funding
DOJ program funded full-time employees, services for 600 Marylanders this year
FreeState Justice on Monday said it will lose more than $300,000 in federal funding on July 1.
The organization in a press release said the funds from the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Program supported LGBTQ survivors of crime in Maryland. FreeState Justice notes this funding “makes up almost 25 percent of the legal aid organization’s overall budget, and 60 percent of its direct service budget.”
FreeState Justice began to receive funds from the program in 2018.
“FreeState Justice is the only organization providing trauma-informed, culturally relevant legal services to LGBTQ+ Marylanders,” said FreeState Justice Executive Director Phillip Westry. “This funding cut is devastating to our community and the clients we serve, and it undermines the promise of equal justice for all.”
Westry noted the funding supported “2.5 full-time employees on our team of seven.” FreeState Justice Legal Director Lauren Pruitt added upwards of 600 people have benefitted from programs this funding supported so far this fiscal year.
“With our help, our clients report escaping violence, gaining housing, accessing documents, and reclaiming their voice,” said Pruitt. “For years, these funds have helped us to support Marylanders who have survived crimes, including about 600 people so far this fiscal year. Our services empower survivors to define and achieve safety, stability, and justice in the ways that matter most to them.”
“We are calling on the community to step up for Maryland’s LGBTQ+ survivors so that we can continue these essential services,” added Westry. “More than ever, we’ll need their support to continue getting our life-saving resources to those who need them most.”
FreeState Justice notes the Trump-Vance administration has cut $50 million “in grants and funding that support organizations that serve victims of crimes.” Westry on Monday in an email to supporters asked for their support to help fill the funding gap.
Rockville hosted its 9th annual Pride celebration on Sunday.
Organizations and sponsors partnered with the city and its Human Rights Commission to bring the event to life in the Rockville Town Center Park at the Square.
“We want our community to know how safe and how protected they are and that we would support our community,” City Clerk Sara Taylor-Ferrell, who is director of council operations, said. “It’s a gathering for families and friendship; it’s just a good event for our community engagement.”
Taylor-Ferrell said the Rockville community feels safe and comfortable at the event, and she hopes the event will continue to grow bigger each year.
“I think this is going to be a great thing that we can say our legacy is with Pride,” she said.
The Rainbow Youth Alliance, the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, the Barker Adoption Foundation, Maryland Trans Unity, and other organizations gathered along the Square to spread awareness and celebrate the LGBTQ community.
Shane Henise, program director for the Rainbow Youth Alliance, an LGBTQ support group for teens from 13- to 18-years-old, said he wanted to come out and let people know that the organization is there for the younger LGBTQ community.
“I think this is a really hard time for queer and trans youth generally, and we want them to know they have a safe place to come,” he said.
Henise said Pride is more important this year than ever, especially with the “attacks” on gender-affirming care for youth.
“We want to counteract that immense amount of negativity and messages they’re receiving with positivity,” Henise said. “You are who you are. We love you, we support you.”
Speaking in front of a crowd of around 50 people, with hundreds walking around to stop and listen, Mayor Monique Ashton and other City Council members addressed the crowd and highlighted the importance of Pride.
Montgomery County Councilmember Evan Glass said Montgomery County always leads with its heart.
“We, the LGBTQ + community, are under threat and under attack by this president, by the Supreme Court, and while we have our challenges, there is no place I’d rather live than here in Montgomery County,” Glass said to the crowd. “We welcome our neighbors, we love them fairly and justly. We choose to love and we choose to be inclusive. That’s what pride is all about.”
With rainbow flags waving in the town square, attendees stopped by information tables, a clothing pop-up shop, face painting stations and a voter registration table.
Performers took to the stage in between speakers, such as local band the Nighthawks, members of the Rockville Musical Theater and a drag queen from drag story hour who read picture books to children in the crowd.
There was a sense of pride and family at the event, according to Cynethia Williams, the Montgomery County chair of Free Mom Hugs.
“There’s a sense of happiness and excitement about our future, even though it’s super scary right now in America,” Williams said. “It’s great to see that so many people are like, ‘They’re not going to take this stuff from us.’”
As a queer and Black woman, Williams said being at Rockville Pride was a revolution itself.
“I’m a revolter from birth, (from) being in this skin, so just being here is a revolt. It’s time for us to get together and fight,” she said. “Specifically for Free Mom Hugs, we want to make sure that our presence is known, that people know that we’re here and that … there’s a group of people that are ready to cheer them on, hug them, give them love.”
Maryland
Annapolis Pride postponed due to weather
Parade and festival will not happen as scheduled, other events to take place
The annual celebration of the Annapolis LGBTQ community has been put on hold due to forecasted severe weather.
The Annapolis Pride parade and festival, both of which were supposed to take place on May 31, have been postponed until a later date.
Annapolis Pride Board Chair Joe Toolan announced the decision this afternoon, citing information given to the Pride board from emergency management agencies and weather forecasting models.
“The safety of our community comes first,” Toolan said. “Based on guidance from the Annapolis Office of Emergency Management and the National Weather Service, we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone the 2025 Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival due to the very real threat of severe thunderstorms, lightning, and flooding.
“We are hoping to reschedule for some time this fall,” he added.
The National Weather Service has issued tornado and flood watches for large portions of the Mid-Atlantic area, more specifically in areas of Virginia, D.C., and Maryland — including Anne Arundel County where Annapolis is located.
The tornado watch only lasts until midnight, but the impacts of heavy downpours in the area can already be seen where the parade and festival were set to take place. The festival grounds at Bates Middle School are already experiencing flooding and over-saturation, and a flood watch remains in effect with more rain forecast for tonight and tomorrow.
“We are all sad and terribly disappointed that we cannot proceed with the parade and festival on Saturday,” Toolan said. “Hundreds of hours have been spent on planning and coordination, and we were expecting tens of thousands of attendees. But at the end of the day, safety concerns outweigh all other concerns.”
Toolan said the Pride board will announce a rescheduled date as soon as it is confirmed.
Even though the Annapolis Pride parade and festival have been postponed, there are a slew of other planned Pride events that will go on as scheduled:
May 30 – Ladies Night – SOLD OUT
6–10 p.m., Eastport Democratic Club, Annapolis
June 1 – Drag Brunch at Leo – SOLD OUT
10 a.m., Leo Annapolis Restaurant, 212 West St.
June 1 – Ecumenical Pride Worship Service
3 p.m., Eastport United Methodist Church, Annapolis
June 3 – Annapolis Pride Beer Launch
4–7 p.m., Forward Brewing, Annapolis
June 5 – Pride on the Pier
6–9 p.m., Bread and Butter Kitchen, Annapolis
June 6 – Big Gay Dance Party
10 p.m.–close, Tsunami Restaurant, 51 West St., Annapolis
June 7 – Pop-Up Market: Benefiting Annapolis Pride
10 a.m.–3 p.m., Annapolis Town Center
Special discounts @Kendra Scott 6/7–6/8
June 14 – Silent Disco
7–11 p.m., Eastport Democratic Club, Annapolis
June 21 – Teen Dance Party
6–9 p.m., Art Farm, Annapolis
For high school freshmen – juniors
*ticketed event
For more information on the postponement of Annapolis Pride, visit https://annapolispride.org/
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