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Turning around sex trafficking: One year after Safe Harbor in Maryland

TurnAround Inc. working to rescue youth, trans girls from exploitation

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The staff at TurnAround Inc. in Baltimore.

In 2023, the law in Maryland dictated the following: If a child was discovered to be sex trafficked during a sting operation, they were to be arrested, handcuffed, and then incarcerated as a ā€œchild prostitute.ā€ One survivor testified to Maryland lawmakers that after being trafficked throughout College Park from ages 12 to 15, it was their ā€˜rescueā€™ by law enforcement that was the most traumatizing part of their experience.

In 40 states and in federal law, the sex trafficking of minors was already understood to be a crime committed against children, and not a crime committed by children. When Gov. Wes Moore signed the Safe Harbor law on May 16th of last year, prohibiting the criminal prosecution of sex-trafficked minors, he brought Maryland out of a legal dark age.

How do things look in Maryland a year later? The Washington Blade got in touch with TurnAround Inc., headquartered in Baltimore, to find out. TurnAround is Marylandā€™s first provider of comprehensive services to survivors of sexual trafficking, Baltimoreā€™s rape crisis center, and a support center for victims of intimate partner violence and sexual violence.

Perhaps the most striking thing about TurnAround is how large of an operation it is ā€” how large of an operation it needs to be. The organization fielded more than 10,000 calls on their hotline in 2022, conducted almost 4,000 counseling sessions, and placed 337 clients in safe shelter: nearly one for every day of the year. But the staff at TurnAround is relieved to see these numbers so high. During the pandemic, there was a steep decrease in reports of sex trafficking. 

ā€œ[COVID] had a very chilling effect on the number of trafficking survivors that were getting access to services,ā€ said Amanda Rodriguez, executive director of TurnAround. Many of the avenues through which cases were referred to TurnAround simply shut down. The hospitals were inundated with COVID cases, and so werenā€™t referring anyone; the schools were closed down, and so werenā€™t referring anyone; and State Attorney Marilyn Mosby stopped prosecuting low-level crimes, which had the unintended consequence of limiting the opportunities law enforcement had to identify youth at risk of trafficking.

In 2020, TurnAround moved into a new office in downtown Baltimore, and it is cavernous ā€” half the floor of a skyscraper. When you walk in, you could mistake the headquarters for a dentistā€™s office for how calmly the front desk attendant answers the phone. A few lines here and there give away the seriousness of their work: ā€œIs it OK for us to leave a voicemail?ā€ Not every callerā€™s phone is a safe place.

The office is flanked by a hallway of therapists on one side of the building, who focus on the inner lives of their clients, and a hallway of advocates on the other side, who focus on their outer lives: support in court, government benefits, direct outreach on the streets of Baltimore. At the center are a host of services one would think spread across the whole of the city: a computer center, a clothing donation center, storage for the goods and products needed to survive while in shelter, a kitchen for group meals, and a place to wash and dry your clothes. But the most sobering part of the office is the play center full of toys, for the children that TurnAround serves. ā€œWe have clients as young as three years old,ā€ said Jean Henningsen, senior director of strategic initiatives. Some of these children come in as the dependents of adult survivors, but they are sometimes the victims of sexual violence themselves.

ā€œWhen we were creating Safe Harbor, we looked to see how many kids had been arrested and charged by law enforcement in every county in the state,ā€ Amanda said. ā€œBaltimore City had the highest number at the time. This has changed since then, and is actually getting much better.ā€ The majority of these trafficked kids were trans girls living in the Charles Village neighborhood of Baltimore ā€” a situation that would surprise many Baltimore residents. Charles Village has a reputation for being one of the safest neighborhoods in the city. It is the neighborhood of Johns Hopkins University, which has, in an effort to assuage the concerned parents of its undergraduates, stationed security officers on many of the surrounding street corners. Despite criticism, the university recently partnered with the Baltimore Police Department to create its own police force, and has started recruiting and training officers as of this spring.

ā€œIt’s historically been a safer neighborhood for the LGBTQ community in general,ā€ Amanda said. ā€œI don’t know what spurred more nefarious individuals coming in and exploiting people, other than opportunity. Traffickers are just such master manipulators. They will figure out for anybody what their vulnerability is.ā€ But these nefarious individuals are not part of some transnational crime organization. They are sometimes trans women themselves, trafficking these girls to serve their own needs in the home. Often rejected by their families and in search of community,  trans girls find this community among other trans women, and then get manipulated into sexual service.

The procedure for dealing with suspected child sex trafficking in Maryland begins with what are called ā€œRegional Navigators,ā€ a role established by the Child Sex Trafficking Screening and Services Act of 2019. Law enforcement agents and local departments of Social Services will notify the countyā€™s Regional Navigator of a suspected trafficking case, and then this Regional Navigator will put together a Multi-Disciplinary Team, or MDT. The MDT consists of all agents and departments that are involved in or have some stake in the case, including Child Protective Services, Juvenile Services, law enforcement, therapists, and schools. These stakeholders will compare notes on what the youth has told them, since they will often have provided different agents and departments with competing descriptions of whatā€™s going on. 

While the MDT procedure is highly effective for inter-departmental coordination on a given case, Stephanie Gonzalez, the Acting Regional Navigator for Howard County, explained that the system has some way to go when it comes to LGBTQ youth. ā€œWhen we get referrals in general, a lot of times, itā€™s not mentioned how they identify,ā€ she said. As a consequence, their data on how many LGBTQ youth are being trafficked isnā€™t always accurate, and these youth sometimes arenā€™t being handled in ways consonant with their sexual or gender identity. And even when these youth are appropriately identified, they arenā€™t always able to access the appropriate resources.

ā€œWe had a transgender female come to us from another state, and she had been trafficked,ā€ Stephanie said. ā€œWe had her in a hotel while we looked for other housing options. We could not find trans-friendly housing options.ā€ The womenā€™s shelters they approached didnā€™t have the requisite training or resources. They would ask insensitive and irrelevant questions about any surgeries the girl had undergone as part of her transition, or require that she be isolated from other women for their safety. ā€œWhy are they trying to make it seem like Iā€™m going to hurt someone,ā€ she would ask.

But that situation is changing. TurnAround has partnered with the YWCA of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County to open up a safe house with the resources needed to support any child survivor of sex trafficking. ā€œItā€™s built!ā€ Jean said. ā€œTurnAround will be staffing it and running it 24/7. Right now there are no children in the facility. Weā€™re still waiting on the final licensing paperwork from the state.ā€

The project is expensive, with an estimated running cost of $1.5 million each year. TurnAround has partnered with Femi Ayanbadejo, a former Super Bowl winner with the Baltimore Ravens, to help coordinate fundraising. Ayanbadejo advocates for TurnAround with a deep enthusiasmā€”hearing him talk on the work they do, it could easily be a field-side interview in the final quarter of a game. ā€œIf we can reach five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty thousand people that we wouldnā€™t have with [the Bladeā€™s] reach, maybe thereā€™s one or two foundations that would give five, ten, a hundred, a thousand, maybe a million dollars. Who knows?ā€

To learn more about TurnAroundā€™s work, visit their website at turnaroundinc.org. If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual violence, TurnAround has offices in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Howard County. All three offices can be reached via 410-377-8111.

CJ Higgins is a postdoctoral fellow with the Alexander Grass Humanities Institute at Johns Hopkins University.

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Maryland

Originally charged with hate crimes, Salisbury University students now face misdemeanor charges

Suspects allegedly attacked man they met on Grindr

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Twelve Salisbury University students who were initially charged with hate crimes are facing trial on misdemeanor charges in the next week. (Photo by Wesley Lapointe for the Baltimore Banner)

The first three Salisbury University students charged in an attack on a man they allegedly lured to an off-campus apartment using a dating app are set to stand trial this week.

Dylan Pietuszka, 20, Logan Clark, 20, and Sean Antone, 19, are among the 15 Salisbury students who in early November were taken into custody in connection with the attack and charged with hate crimes.

All three men standing trial this week are only facing two charges: Second degree assault and false imprisonment, which are both misdemeanors.

The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.

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Maryland

Maryland Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus to hold town hall on Eastern Shore

Delmarva Pride Center, DoCoPride to co-host Wednesday event

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(Washington Blade photo by Ernesto Valle)

The Maryland Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus on Wednesday will hold a town hall with the Delmarva Pride Center and DoCoPride that will focus on legal protections for LGBTQ Marylanders.

The town hall will take place from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Waterfowl Building (40 S. Hanson St.) in Easton. It will also be virtual for those who cannot attend in person.

A press release notes elected officials and ā€œstate and federal legal expertsā€ will talk about ā€œthe current status of protections for LGBTQ+ Marylanders and what the future may hold.ā€

ā€œAs Maryland prepares for the incoming federal administration, the LGBTQ+ Caucus is steadfast in reaffirming Marylandā€™s commitment to supporting all of its residents,ā€ said state Del. Kris Fair (D-Frederick County), who chairs the Maryland Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus. ā€œCoordination will be critical to building a comprehensive package of legislation that affirms the unique lived experiences of all its residents ā€” especially queer, nonbinary, and transgender people targeted by harmful legislation.ā€

Tina Jones, co-founder and chair of the Delmarva Pride Center in Easton, in the press release notes the LGBTQ community ā€œis facing unprecedented levels of bias and potential harm at this time.ā€

ā€œAs part of our safe spaces initiative, we are honored to have this opportunity to partner with the Maryland Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus and DoCo Pride to educate folks on their rights and stand together to say hate, bias, and harm have no place on the Eastern Shore or anywhere in Maryland,ā€ said Jones.

Registration for the event is here:

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Maryland

HIV decriminalization bill is FreeState Justiceā€™s top 2025 legislative priority

Measure named in honor of Carlton Smith, a prominent activist who died last year

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(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

A bill that would decriminalize HIV in Maryland is a top legislative priority for FreeState Justice in 2025.

FreeState Justice Community Advocacy Manager Ronnie Taylor told the Washington Blade on Wednesday the Carlton R. Smith Jr. HIV Modernization Act seeks to repeal ā€œoutdated and stigmatizing laws that criminalize the transfer of HIV, bringing Marylandā€™s public health laws in line with modern science and best practices.ā€

The bill is named after Carlton Smith, a long-time LGBTQ activist known as the ā€œmayorā€ of Baltimoreā€™s Mount Vernon neighborhood who died last May. A similar measure died in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee in 2024.

ā€œThe bill emphasizes public health education, anti-discrimination measures, and access to care, ensuring those living with HIV are supported rather than penalized,ā€ said Taylor.

Taylor pointed out FreeState Justice is working with the Maryland Legislative LGBTQIA+ Caucus and the Maryland Commission on LGBTQIA+ Affairs to build support for four additional bills and policy objectives.

ā€¢ The Birth Certificate Modernization Act would ā€œstreamline the process for amending gender markers on birth certificates to make it more accessible and affirming.ā€

ā€¢ The Commission on History, Culture and Civics would create ā€œan inclusive commission to center marginalized voices in Maryland’s history, culture, and civics education.ā€

ā€¢ The implementation of ā€œinclusive and diverse English Language Arts Standardsā€ in public schools that would ensure ā€œcurricula reflect diverse identities and lived experiences, fostering a more inclusive learning environment for students.ā€

ā€¢ The creation of a ā€œcomprehensive health education frameworkā€ that would establish ā€œa robust and inclusive health education framework for primary and secondary schools, focusing on equity and affirming all students.ā€

Taylor noted FreeState Justice is also ā€œexploring ways to supportā€ Compassion and Choices, a group that advocates for assisted dying, in their efforts in support of the Honorable Elijah E. Cummings End of Life Option Act. 

ā€œThe act has profound historical significance for LGBTQIA+ communities, as end-of-life options were first championed during the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1990s, highlighting the importance of dignity and choice,ā€ said Taylor.

She added the ā€œlegislative efforts reflect FreeState Justiceā€™s commitment to advancing equity and dignity for LGBTQIA+ Marylanders through policy advocacy and community collaboration.ā€

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