Maryland
Poll indicates Moore well ahead of Cox in Md. gubernatorial race
Democrat has 32-point lead over anti-LGBTQ Republican opponent
A new Washington Post-University of Maryland poll shows Democrat Wes Moore is ahead of Republican Dan Cox by 32 points in the state’s gubernatorial race.
The poll, which was released on Saturday, shows 60 percent of respondents supported Moore, compared to only 28 percent who backed Cox. The Post and the University of Maryland surveyed 810 registered Maryland voters by telephone from Sept. 22-27.
The results mirror those of the 2020 election, when now President Joe Biden defeated then-President Donald Trump in Maryland by 33 percentage points. The former president has endorsed Cox, who opposes LGBTQ rights.
While the poll reflects the candidate for whom Marylanders are more likely to vote, it also shows the one who is generally more liked. Fifty-one percent of respondents have a favorable opinion of Moore, compared to only 28 percent of respondents who said they feel favorably about Cox.
A Democrat fromĀ Baltimore County told the Post that she feels like Moore understand the issues of marginalized communities,Ā
āHe is coming from an African American family and knows how hard life can be,ā she said.
An Independent from St. Maryās County told the Post they agrees with Cox’s opposition to teaching students about gender identity and structural racism in the classroom. The voter also said they feel Republicans can help the economy more than Democrats can.
The Maryland Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that would make Maryland a sanctuary state for transgender people who are seeking gender-affirming health care and providers who offer it.
Senate Bill 119 passed by a 33-13 vote margin.
State Sens. Clarence Lam (D-Anne Arundel and Howard Counties), Shelly Hettleman (D-Baltimore County) and Jeff Waldstreicher (D-Montgomery County) introduced SB 119. An identical bill has been put forth in the Maryland House of Delegates.
A law that requires Maryland’s Medicaid program to cover gender-affirming treatments took effect on Jan. 1.
Maryland
Protests interrupt Moms for Liberty meeting about removing books in Howard County schools
Guest speaker led book-removal campaign in Carroll County
BY KRISTEN GRIFFITHĀ | When a Howard County chapter of Moms for Liberty wanted to learn how to remove books from schools, they wereĀ met with a swarm of protesters sporting rainbow colors and signsĀ looking to send the message that such actions are not welcome in their district.
The conservative parentsā group met Monday night at Howardās Central Branch library in Columbia to brainstorm how they could get books they deemed inappropriate out of their childrenās school libraries. Their guest speaker for the evening was Jessica Garland, who led a successful book-removal campaign in Carroll County. The Howard chapter wanted the playbook.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Maryland
Are Md. prisons out of bounds with federal requirements for trans prisoners?
Department of Correctional Services says transgender prisoners āhoused according to physical genitaliaā
BY BEN CONARCK | Nearly a year after formerly incarcerated transgender people testified to Maryland lawmakers about the troubling conditions they faced in state prisons and Baltimore jails, the agency in charge of their care continues to violate federal standards in how it houses trans prisoners, according to a coalition of trans rights advocates.
The Trans Rights Advocacy Coalition, bolstered by policy experts and attorneys, contends that while the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services has made some strides towards improving conditions, its policy of housing trans prisoners āaccording to physical genitaliaā violates the federal standard that those individuals should be housed on a case-by-case basis determined by health and safety and any security problems, among other factors. The group laid out its argument in a 15-page memo presented to the department and lawmakers this week.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.