Maryland
Md. House committee to hold hearing on bill to ban transgender kids from sports teams
State Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore County) introduced HB 47
A Maryland House of Delegates committee on Wednesday is scheduled to hold a hearing on a bill that would bar transgender children from joining school sports teams consistent with their gender identity.
State Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore County) introduced House Bill 47, which is also called the Fairness in Girls’ Sports Act. State Dels. Lauren Arikan (R-Harford County), Brian Chisholm (R-Anne Arundel County), Mark Fisher (R-Calvert County), Robin Grammer, Jr. (R-Baltimore County), Thomas Hutchinson (R-Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot and Wicomico Counties), Nicholaus Kipke (R-Anne Arundel County), Robert Long (R-Baltimore County), Nino Mangione (R-Baltimore County), Susan McComas (R-Harford County), April Miller (R-Frederick County), Matthew Morgan (R-St. Mary’s County), Todd Morgan (R-Calvert and St. Mary’s Counties), Rachel Munoz (R-Anne Arundel County), Ryan Nawrocki (R-Baltimore County), Stuart Michael Schmidt, Jr. (R-Anne Arundel County) and Chris Tomlinson (R-Frederick and Carroll Counties) have co-sponsored the measure.
The House Ways and Means Committee will consider it.
“Policies with regard to participation in sports are easy to create; there should be no special allowances or rules for gender identity,” said Szeliga in a statement, according to WJLA. “Bodies play sports, not identities.”
“As a society, we can celebrate the differences of individuals but hold bodies accountable in sports,” added the Baltimore County Republican. “The future of every female athlete counts on it.”
The House Ways and Means Committee in 2022 killed the same bill that Szeliga introduced.
Democrats control both houses of the Maryland General Assembly.
Governor Wes Moore, who is also a Democrat, last May signed the Trans Health Equity Act, which requires Maryland’s Medicaid program to cover gender-affirming treatments. The law took effect on Jan. 1.
Maryland
US Senate poll tracker: Alsobrooks grows lead over Hogan in new survey
PG County executive ahead of former governor by 50-33 percent margin
BY BRENDA WINTRODE and PAMELA WOOD | Maryland’s Senate race is one of a handful of federal races poised to decide which political party wins control over Congress. That means there’s plenty of polling, as the candidates and other interested parties search for indications of which way voters will go.
Republican former Gov. Larry Hogan and Democrat and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks are vying for the open seat, along with Libertarian Party candidate Mike Scott and independent candidate Patrick J. Burke.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Maryland
Maryland Congressman Andy Harris is new chair of the House Freedom Caucus
Republican replaces U.S. Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) who lost primary
BY PAMELA WOOD | Maryland’s lone Republican in Congress, U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, is the new chair of the right-wing Freedom Caucus.
Harris has replaced prior Freedom Caucus chair U.S. Rep. Bob Good of Virginia, who lost his Republican primary earlier this year.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Maryland
Upper Chesapeake Bay Pride Festival returns to Havre de Grace
‘There are thriving queer communities in rural areas’
Concord Point Park in Havre de Grace, Md., will transform into the site of the 6th annual Upper Chesapeake Bay Pride Festival on Saturday, Oct. 5. The free, family-friendly festival will run from 2-6 p.m. and feature live music, drag performances, and vendors.
About 3,500 people are expected to attend the festival, which is organized by the Upper Chesapeake Bay Pride Foundation and will be held at the Chesapeake waterfront. More than 120 artists, vendors, and community organizations will have booths, and a kids’ area will offer activities such as face painting, magician performances, and storytelling.
Along with drag performances, musical acts will perform throughout the day, spanning genres such as R&B, punk, and queer country. The foundation’s president, Kurt Doan, highlighted Ryan Cassata as a key headliner.
“Ryan is a trans activist but also makes really vibrant music, so I’m excited to bring that kind of music to Harford County,” Doan said.
Festival goers will be able to choose from a variety of food options, including empanadas, Thai food, burgers, French-style desserts and ice cream. This year, the foundation is extending activities beyond the festival hours, including an after party and happy hour at one of the local breweries, and Sunday yoga session.
“We’ve got lots of really super supportive queer-friendly businesses in Havre De Grace that are going to be offering different things,” Doan said.
The inaugural Upper Chesapeake Bay Pride Festival was held in 2019 to celebrate the local LGBTQ community in the rural Harford and Cecil counties. Since then, the foundation has grown in its scope: In addition to hosting the annual festival, it provides scholarships to local colleges and hosts monthly social activities.
Doan emphasized the role the foundation plays in supporting the rural queer community, noting its impact in creating belonging and visibility.
“I think people can very easily forget that queer people also live in rural areas, and when we talk about being queer in Maryland, it’s often about what’s going on in the outskirts of D.C. or in Baltimore or in Annapolis. But there are thriving queer communities in rural areas, we just don’t often have brick and mortar spots where we can gather,” he said. “I think it’s super important to have an organization like this.”
To support the festival or learn how to become an exhibitor, volunteer, or performer, visit ucbpride.com/2024-pride-festival/.
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