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Moore, Hogan attend Annapolis Pride parade

Current governor’s press secretary criticized predecessor’s LGBTQ record

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2 years ago

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Maryland Gov. Wes Moore participates in the Annapolis Pride parade in Annapolis, Md., on June 1, 2024. (Screen capture courtesy of Moore's X account)

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and his Republican predecessor, Larry Hogan, on Saturday marched in the annual Annapolis Pride parade.

Moore in a video he posted to his X account noted he is the first Maryland governor to attend the parade.

“Everybody, be you, be proud, be Maryland,” said Moore. “This is what makes Maryland extraordinary; it’s when everyone feels a sense of belonging in their own skin. That is who we are. That’s what we believe in and that’s what we will always stand for.”

Hogan, who is running against Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks in the race to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), on his X account posted pictures and videos of him in the parade and greeting spectators. Alsobrooks herself did not participate (a campaign spokesperson told the Washington Blade she was unable to attend), but many of her campaign volunteers and supporters marched in the parade.

“Happy Pride,” said Alsobrooks on her X account. “This month, may we come together to celebrate LGBTQ+ Americans, while also making sure that, as leaders, we continue the fight for equality for all.”

“As Maryland’s next senator, I am going to fight to protect our LGBTQ+ Americans every single day,” she added.

Moore Press Secretary Carter Elliott posted to his X account a picture of Hogan arriving at the parade, and noted he is “here in all black at Annapolis Pride after eight years of not participating, vetoing legislation to protect LGBTQ communities, and letting countless bills go through without his signature.”

“This is a community he is not proud to support — all performative politics,” said Elliott.

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Maryland

Layoffs and confusion at Pride Center of Maryland after federal grants cut, reinstated

Trump administration move panicked addiction and mental health programs

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2 days ago

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January 16, 2026

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Merrick Moses, a violence prevention coordinator, works at the Pride Center of Maryland in Baltimore. (Photo by Ulysses Muñoz for the Baltimore Banner)

By ALISSA ZHU | After learning it had abruptly lost $2 million in federal funding, the Pride Center of Maryland moved to lay off a dozen employees, or about a third of its workforce, the Baltimore nonprofit’s leader said Thursday.

The group is one of thousands nationwide that reportedly received letters late Tuesday from the Trump administration. Their mental health and addiction grants had been terminated, effective immediately, the letters said.

By Wednesday night, federal officials moved to reverse the funding cuts by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, estimated to total $2 billion, according to national media reports. But the Pride Center of Maryland’s CEO Cleo Manago said as of Thursday morning he had not heard anything from the federal government confirming those reports.

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

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Maryland

Steny Hoyer, the longest-serving House Democrat, to retire from Congress

Md. congressman served for years in party leadership

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1 week ago

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January 8, 2026

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At 86, Steny Hoyer is the latest in a generation of senior-most leaders stepping aside, making way for a new era of lawmakers eager to take on governing. (Photo by KT Kanazawich for the Baltimore Banner)

By ASSOCIATED PRESS and LISA MASCARO | Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the longest-serving Democrat in Congress and once a rival to become House speaker, will announce Thursday he is set to retire at the end of his term.

Hoyer, who served for years in party leadership and helped steer Democrats through some of their most significant legislative victories, is set to deliver a House floor speech about his decision, according to a person familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to discuss it.

“Tune in,” Hoyer said on social media. He confirmed his retirement plans in an interview with the Washington Post.

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

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Maryland

Joseline Peña-Melnyk elected Md. House speaker

Family immigrated to New York City from the Dominican Republic

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1 month ago

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December 16, 2025

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Maryland House speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk addresses the chamber after being sworn in. (Photo by Jerry Jackson for the Baltimore Banner)

By PAMELA WOOD | Moments after being elected speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates Tuesday, state Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk stood before the chamber and contemplated her unlikely journey to that moment.

Born in the Dominican Republic, the Peña family lived in a small wooden house with a leaky tin roof and no indoor plumbing. Some days, she said, there was no food to eat.

When she was 8 years old, the family immigrated to New York City, where Peña-Melnyk was dubbed “abogadito” or “little lawyer” for helping her mother and others by translating at social services offices.

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

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