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 Gov. Wes Moore on Tuesday signed a bill that decriminalizes HIV in the state.
State Dels. Kris Fair (D-Frederick County) and Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore City) are among the lawmakers who sponsored House Bill 39 or the Carlton R. Smith Act, which is named after the long-time activist known as the “mayor” of Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood who died in May 2024.
Smith was a member of the Coalition to Decriminalize HIV in Maryland that advocated for the bill. FreeState Justice, a statewide LGBTQ rights group, was also part of the coalition.
“At FreeState Justice, we are proud to stand with advocates, health experts, and lawmakers who worked diligently to advance this bill. The bipartisan support for the Carlton R. Smith Act is a testament to the power of education, research, and courageous leadership,” said FreeState Justice Executive Director Phillip Westry in a statement. “It sends a clear message: Maryland is committed to evidence-based policymaking and to ending the criminalization of people living with HIV. We honor the memory of Carlton R. Smith by continuing the work of building a more just, inclusive, and informed society.”
Maryland is the fifth state to decriminalize HIV.
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong, a Republican, in March signed a bill that decriminalized HIV in his state.
Maryland
A Baltimore theater educator lost jobs at Johns Hopkins and the Kennedy Center
Tavish Forsyth concluded they could not work for Trump
BY WESLEY CASE | Tavish Forsyth had come to a conclusion: They could not work for President Donald Trump.
So the 32-year-old Baltimore resident stripped down, turned on their camera, and lit their career on fire.
“F—— Donald Trump and f—— the Kennedy Center,” a naked Forsyth, an associate artistic lead at the Washington National Opera’s Opera Institute, which is run by the Kennedy Center, said in a video that went viral. The board of the nation’s leading cultural institution had elected Trump just weeks prior as its chairman after he gutted the board of members appointed by his predecessor, President Joe Biden.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Maryland
Md. schools plan to comply with federal DEI demands
Superintendents opt for cooperation over confrontation
By LIZ BOWIE | Deciding not to pick a fight with the Trump administration, Maryland school leaders plan to sign a letter to the U.S. Department of Education that says their school districts are complying with all civil rights laws.
The two-paragraph letter could deflect a confrontation over whether the state’s public schools run diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that the Trump administration has called illegal. The Baltimore Banner reviewed the letter, which was shared by a school administrator who declined to be identified because the letter has not yet been sent.
Maryland school leaders are taking a more conciliatory approach than those in some other states. Education leaders in Minnesota, New York, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, and Wisconsin said they will not comply with the federal education department’s order, the demands of which, they say, are based on a warped interpretation of civil rights law.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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