Maryland
Moore beats Cox in Md. gubernatorial race
Maryland’s first Black governor to take office in January
Democrat Wes Moore on Tuesday defeated Republican Dan Cox in the Maryland gubernatorial election.
Moore and his running mate, Aruna Miller, were ahead of Cox and his running mate, Gordana Schifanelli, by a 59.51-37.1 percent margin with 2016 of 2074 Election Day precincts reporting results.
Moore, who spoke about his support of LGBTQ rights with the Washington Blade last month, will succeed Republican Gov. Larry Hogan in January. Moore will be Maryland’s first Black governor
“I care deeply about the LGBTQ+ community,” Moore told the Washington Blade. “And we’re always going to fight to ensure that Maryland is a state that is open and welcome to all, regardless of who you are, regardless of who you love.”
“Congratulations to Gov.-Elect Wes Moore on his historic victory as Maryland’s first Black governor,” said North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, chair of the Democratic Governors Association, in a statement. “His experience as a combat veteran, small business owner, and CEO of one of the nation’s largest anti-poverty organizations has provided him with the skills and knowledge to enact bold change and build a Maryland that leaves no one behind. He’ll be a champion for creating a thriving economy and a world-class public education system while keeping families safe.”
Cox in a statement he released on Wednesday said he called Moore and congratulated him.
My statement today on my call to Gov-elect Wes Moore. Please join me in praying for him and his family and that our state will be free. pic.twitter.com/mv5CJG96AJ
— Dan Cox 🇺🇸 🦅- Delegate & Candidate for Governor (@DanCoxEsq) November 9, 2022
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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New doc chronicles gay hero’s journey from rape to forgiveness
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Wes Moore signs HIV decriminalization bill
Federal judge scraps trans-inclusive workplace discrimination protections
