Maryland
Two nonbinary candidates elected to Md. Democratic Central Committee
Tia Hopkins and Antonio Bowens won respective races in August
Tia Hopkins and Antonio Bowens last month became the first openly nonbinary candidates elected to the Maryland Democratic Central Committee.
Hopkins was elected to represent District 40 in Baltimore City, and in an interview with the Baltimore Banner they said that the community’s response has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Everyone has welcomed me with open arms,” Hopkins said. “All the remarks were positive. One person wanted a better explanation of what gender neutral is. It’s people wanting to educate themselves. Obviously, I look female, and I changed my gender to nonbinary. It’s about them understanding that change.”
Bowens was re-elected to represent Frederick County. After winning election in 2018 on the male ticket, they decided to run under the newly created nonbinary option in 2022.
“I tried to be truthful to myself and register as nonbinary,” Bowens said. “The best way to advocate for minority voices is to be active in Frederick politics.”
Bowens said that one of their goals as a committee member is to prepare potential candidates — especially LGBTQ and nonbinary candidates — for success in future elections.
“I want to get in and get the bench filled — to get these people ready and give them the tools to be successful candidates,” they said.
A third nonbinary candidate, Jo Riedel, was unsuccessful in their race to represent Harford County on the committee. Before running for the central committee, Riedel was active in Harford County Democratic politics as a treasure and advisor to the house of delegates candidate.
However, despite their familiarity with Harford County politics, Riedel faced significant pushback as a nonbinary candidate.
“I could have very easily run as a male candidate. I really didn’t ever entertain that thought,” Riedel said. “There were transphobic comments made by other party members, to the point where one of the party officers had to make the point that we’re not going to use Republican talking points on our fellow members.”
Riedel even described an incident at a candidate forum where another Democrat accused them of having multiple personality disorder, because they were wearing a “they/them” button.
Although Riedel’s own election bid was unsuccessful, Riedel said they were proud to be one of the first three Maryland candidates openly designated as nonbinary, and excited for the two other candidates who were elected.
“I am very, very happy and excited for both of them, that they were elected, because they’re good candidates, you know, and not just because they’re nonbinary,” they said.
As Maryland’s Democratic moves forward from this historic first, Riedel stressed there is still more internal work to be done, even as party members celebrate a victory for the nonbinary candidates.
“As a party, we still have work to do, and we’re going to have to address that if we expect to continue to reach out to the queer community,” they said.
Maryland
4th Circuit dismisses lawsuit against Montgomery County schools’ pronoun policy
Substitute teacher Kimberly Polk challenged regulation in 2024
A federal appeals court has ruled Montgomery County Public Schools did not violate a substitute teacher’s constitutional rights when it required her to use students’ preferred pronouns in the classroom.
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2-1 decision it released on Jan. 28 ruled against Kimberly Polk.
The policy states that “all students have the right to be referred to by their identified name and/or pronoun.”
“School staff members should address students by the name and pronoun corresponding to the gender identity that is consistently asserted at school,” it reads. “Students are not required to change their permanent student records as described in the next section (e.g., obtain a court-ordered name and/or new birth certificate) as a prerequisite to being addressed by the name and pronoun that corresponds to their identified name. To the extent possible, and consistent with these guidelines, school personnel will make efforts to maintain the confidentiality of the student’s transgender status.”
The Washington Post reported Polk, who became a substitute teacher in Montgomery County in 2021, in November 2022 requested a “religious accommodation, claiming that the policy went against her ‘sincerely held religious beliefs,’ which are ‘based on her understanding of her Christian religion and the Holy Bible.’”
U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman in January 2025 dismissed Polk’s lawsuit that she filed in federal court in Beltsville. Polk appealed the decision to the 4th Circuit.
By PAMELA WOOD | Dan Cox, a Republican who was resoundingly defeated by Democratic Gov. Wes Moore four years ago, has filed to run for governor again this year.
Cox’s candidacy was posted on the Maryland elections board website Friday; he did not immediately respond to an interview request.
Cox listed Rob Krop as his running mate for lieutenant governor.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Maryland
Expanded PrEP access among FreeState Justice’s 2026 legislative priorities
Maryland General Assembly opened on Jan. 14
FreeState Justice this week spoke with the Washington Blade about their priorities during this year’s legislative session in Annapolis that began on Jan. 14.
Ronnie L. Taylor, the group’s community director, on Wednesday said the organization continues to fight against discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS. FreeState Justice is specifically championing a bill in the General Assembly that would expand access to PrEP in Maryland.
Taylor said FreeState Justice is working with state Del. Ashanti Martinez (D-Prince George’s County) and state Sen. Clarence Lam (D-Arundel and Howard Counties) on a bill that would expand the “scope of practice for pharmacists in Maryland to distribute PrEP.” The measure does not have a title or a number, but FreeState Justice expects it will have both in the coming weeks.
FreeState Justice has long been involved in the fight to end the criminalization of HIV in the state.
Governor Wes Moore last year signed House Bill 39, which decriminalized HIV in Maryland.
The bill — the Carlton R. Smith Jr. HIV Modernization Act — is named after Carlton Smith, a long-time LGBTQ activist known as the “mayor” of Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood who died in 2024. FreeState Justice said Marylanders prosecuted under Maryland Health-General Code § 18-601.1 have already seen their convictions expunged.
Taylor said FreeState Justice will continue to “oppose anti anti-LGBTQ legislation” in the General Assembly. Their website later this week will publish a bill tracker.
The General Assembly’s legislative session is expected to end on April 13.
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