Maryland
Two gay congressmen endorse Joe Vogel for Congress
Openly gay Md. lawmaker running to represent state’s 6th Congressional District
Two openly gay congressmen have endorsed Maryland state Del. Joe Vogel (D-Montgomery County) in the race for Maryland’s 6th Congressional District seat.
Vogel announced his candidacy on May 8. He would be Maryland’s first openly LGBTQ and first Latino congressman.
Equality PAC endorsed Vogel on June 21, making it the first organization to endorse in the race and the PAC’s first endorsement of this election cycle. U.S. Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) and Mark Takano (D-Calif.), who co-chair Equality PAC, have announced their support for the freshman Maryland lawmaker. The announcement coincides with Equality PAC’s support of Congressional candidates Julie Johnson and Will Rollins, who are running to represent Texas’ 32nd Congressional District and California’s 41st Congressional District respectively.
“In Maryland, state Del. Joe Vogel has a strong track record of standing up for our community and will make sure this swing seat elects someone who will fight for equality,” Torres and Takano said in a press release. “As we speak, our community is facing an unprecedented level of attacks, targeting trans people, children, and families. Making sure we have representation in Congress is a critical component to protecting these vulnerable communities. We look forward to working with all these candidates to build winning campaigns and fulfill Equality PAC’s mission to elect more LGBTQ persons to federal office and to ensure a pro-equality majority in Congress.”
Vogel, 26, was born in Uruguay and immigrated with his family to Rockville when he was 3-years old.
As one of the youngest members of Maryland’s House of Delegates, Vogel has supported a number of progressive bills and positions. During his tenure, Vogel has introduced more than 75 bills, including a measure to establish a commission on hate crime response and prevention, which Gov. Wes Moore signed into law in May, and the Event-Goer Rights and Accountable Sales (ERAS) Act, which would require companies to enforce policies that prevent ticket price gouging.
“We’ve been all over the district during Pride month and having conversations with people from Cumberland to Frederick to Gaithersburg about the challenges facing our community, the progress we’ve made and what the future holds,” Vogel said. “I think folks are excited about the representation that we’re offering and I want people to know that I take these issues personally. I will be a champion for our community in Congress.”
Congressman David Trone currently represents Maryland’s 6th Congressional District.
The incumbent Democrat announced in May that he is running for retiring U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.)’s seat. Stephen McDow and state Del. Lesley Lopez (D-Montgomery County) are in the race alongside Vogel.
Vogel said that when deciding who to vote for, he hopes his record, and not just his identity, in the House of Delegates will speak for itself to voters. Vogel also said Congress needs more members who look like him.
“When you hear about the issues that I’m focused on on the campaign trail, it’s issues that matter to every person in this district, regardless of your gender identity or sexual orientation,” Vogel said. “It’s mental health, it’s gun violence, it’s the climate crisis, it’s job creation, it’s transportation, it’s housing rights. All of these issues that affect every family in this community, but … I think we need more people who understand what it’s like to be part of [the LGBTQ] community and will make our issues a priority.”
Maryland
Baltimore Heritage wants Md. LGBTQ historical sites added to National Registry
Mary Elizabeth Garrett’s Mount Vernon home among historical sites
Baltimore Heritage is continuing its mission to preserve Maryland’s LGBTQ history.
The group, using documentation, is attempting to get statewide LGBTQ historical sites listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Kentucky was the first state to make this effort, using a similar study to Maryland, which outlined a comprehensive list of LGBTQ heritage sites.
Baltimore Heritage, a local non-profit, 15 years ago began its efforts to promote LGBTQ heritage within the local community, mainly with walking tours to sites important to LGBTQ history. Preservation Maryland in 2018 received a grant, and Susan Ferentinos spent two years compiling a comprehensive list of LGBTQ historical sites, later published in 2022.
Suffragist Mary Elizabeth Garrett’s Mount Vernon home is one of the examples of the LGBTQ historical sites.
Although Garrett never labeled herself, she was involved in same-sex relationships, was a leader in the feminist movement, and played a large role in advancing education for women.
Although the effort has been ongoing, Baltimore Heritage Executive Director Johns Hopkins explained that Baltimore Heritage and its partners’ goal is to add Maryland to the public conversation on LGBTQ history.
“Bringing a little bit of a spotlight to some of the sites that are important, locally and nationally, would be meeting a goal of trying to have a broader, more in-depth public discussion around LGBTQ history, so we all know where we’re coming from,” said Hopkins.
Maryland
Evan Glass is leaning on his record. Is that enough for Montgomery County’s top job?
Gay county executive candidate pushing for equitable pay, safer streets, and cleaner environment
By TALIA RICHMAN | During a meet-and-greet at Poolesville Memorial United Methodist Church, Evan Glass got his loudest applause of the night with a plan he acknowledged was decidedly unsexy.
“Day one, I’ll hire a director of permitting services,” the county executive candidate said.
Doing so, he added, is a step toward easing the regulatory burdens that can stifle small businesses in Montgomery County.
The only problem? At least one of his fiercest competitors is making a similar pledge.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Maryland
Supreme Court ruling against conversion therapy bans could affect Md. law
Then-Gov. Larry Hogan signed statute in 2018
By PAMELA WOOD, JOHN-JOHN WILLIAMS IV, and MADELEINE O’NEILL | The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against a law banning “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ kids in Colorado, a ruling that also could apply to Maryland’s ban on the discredited practice.
An 8-1 high court majority sided with a Christian counselor who argues the law banning talk therapy violates the First Amendment. The justices agreed that the law raises free speech concerns and sent it back to a lower court to decide whether it meets a legal standard that few laws pass.
Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the court’s majority, said the law “censors speech based on viewpoint.” The First Amendment, he wrote, “stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country.”
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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