Maryland
Md. gubernatorial candidates face off in July 19 primary
Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s term ends in January
The Washington Blade this week details the LGBTQ-specific positions of the candidates who hope to succeed Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.
The primary election will take place on July 19.
DEMOCRATS:
PETER FRANCHOT
State Comptroller Peter Franchot has served in his current position since 2007. He served in the Maryland House of Delegates for more than two decades before ousting his Democratic predecessor in 2006.
Alongside his running mate, former Prince George’s County Council member Monique Anderson-Walker, Franchot has campaigned on promises of enacting a more efficient, transparent and equitable state government that will be prepared to champion multiple progressive causes.
When asked about his approach to issues surrounding LGBTQ rights in Maryland, Franchot told the Blade that providing equitable opportunities for underserved groups like the LGBTQ community was a focus of his bid for the governor’s office.
“I am committed to ensuring that all Marylanders have the resources to thrive and enjoy all the benefits our state has to offer,” Franchot told the Blade. “I was the first candidate to publish an agenda dedicated to addressing injustices and supporting historically marginalized communities.”
Should he succeed, a Franchot administration, he said, would be ready to implement a number of plans his campaign has already drafted.
“I will ensure our curriculums educate students on our modern world and ensure that all of our public schools will be equipped with mental health professionals,” Franchot said. “I will also appoint a Secretary of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This person will be responsible for identifying bias, disparate impacts, or inadequate attention to existing inequity and will issue a public report with action items to hold our government responsible for addressing these challenges. I am committed to ensuring that members of the LGBTQ+ community are part of my administration, and I will also increase funding for grassroots organizations that are filling in the gaps to provide support and care for the LGBTQ+ community.”
DOUG GANSLER
Former Attorney General Doug Gansler served in his statewide role from 2007 to 2015.
Running alongside former Hyattsville Mayor Candace Hollingsworth, Gansler has consistently pointed to his progressive record on issues of social justice and environmental protection.
In fighting for what he sees as social justice for constituents, Gansler has garnered a well-recorded history of using his governmental power to advocate for the LGBTQ community.
Gansler in 2010 affirmed his support for LGBTQ rights by issuing an opinion that Maryland would recognize same-sex marriages performed outside the state that, at the time, did not allow such. In response, some state lawmakers in Annapolis initiated an unsuccessful attempt to impeach him from his position.
“I am and always have been [an advocate] and I don’t waver, and I will always do that going forward as governor,” Gansler said.
As he pursues his party’s nomination for the governorship, Gansler told the Blade that representation of the LGBTQ community in his administration as well as experience in using government pathways to protect them would be key components of addressing LGBTQ issues – components, he says, he is willing and able to pursue.
“I think having folks in government who are representative, I think, is important,” Gansler said. “I think making sure we enforce the laws and don’t let any abridgement of the laws occur and pass more protective laws and make sure that, should hate crimes and hate speech and behavior targeted toward the LGBTQ community get enhanced that we lead.”
RALPH JAFFE
Retired educator Ralph Jaffe has centered his campaign around a promise to root out corruption in Maryland government.
“My real goal – I’m in this to win – but there’s a more important objective and that is I want to create a new standard of behavior for politicians in the future,” Jaffe said.
As part of his campaign alongside running mate Mark Greben, Jaffe has campaigned on a set of five principles: Refusing all campaign contributions, only serving one term in office if elected, serving without pay, being truthful with constituents and having no dealings with or connections to professional lobbyists.
Jaffe has proposed the elimination of the Public Service Commission, the Maryland Department of Education, the Maryland Stadium Authority and the Maryland Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program in favor of fiscal responsibility and more localized control as well as opposing all attempts by the state’s General Assembly to raise residents’ taxes.
Jaffe told the Blade that his involvement in such change, spanning back three decades, was one that he characterized as a movement – one that has taken time to cultivate and has allowed for.
“It takes time. We have made a lot of progress and I’m pleased with the progress we have made,” he said.
When addressing his support for matters of LGBTQ equality, Jaffe told the Blade that he believes members of the community deserve equal respect and status.
“I believe that any person in this country who is a human being in this country should be treated equally, that’s it,” Jaffe said.
TOM PEREZ
Former Democratic National Committee Chair and U.S. and Maryland Labor Secretary Tom Perez has sought to use his profile to establish himself as a top contender in the Democratic primary.
Perez, alongside his running mate, former Baltimore City Council member Shannon Sneed, has branded himself as a “get stuff done” Democrat. Perez, who is leaning on his experience as a civil rights attorney, now seeks to enact, among other things, reforms in areas that include police reform, voting rights, marijuana laws and gender equity.
A spokesperson for the Perez campaign told the Blade that as LGBTQ rights have come under greater uncertainty, Perez is looking forward to doing more to continue being a champion for the community.
“Throughout June we celebrate the amazing achievements of our LGBTQ+ communities and recommit ourselves to protecting the rights of our LGBTQ+ family, friends and neighbors so we can build stronger, more inclusive communities across Maryland – and beyond,” Perez wrote on Twitter on June 1.
WES MOORE
Combat veteran, small business owner and former Robin Hood Foundation CEO Wes Moore has sought to use his campaign to call into focus equity gaps in Maryland in hopes of becoming the Democratic nominee.
Through his campaign, Moore has leaned on his experiences of humble beginnings as well as military and entrepreneurial experience to influence his policy stances on issues affecting veterans and others.
Moore has expressed his support for the LGBTQ community and his intention to address related issues should he be elected to office.
Moore’s plans, should he become the next governor, include collaboration with the Maryland LGBTQ Affairs Commission and the community in future discussion, identifying LGBTQ businesses for the state to more easily contract, supporting and implementing prospective and newly-enacted legislation like the Safe Schools Act and Trans Health Equity Act and denying harmful legislation from being enacted or enforced.
Moore and his running mate, former state Del. Aruna Miller, reaffirmed their support for LGBTQ rights in a policy statement their campaign released.
“The only way to make Maryland truly inclusive and welcoming is to ensure we fiercely support and advance the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, especially at a time where this community remains under attack,” Moore and Miller said in the statement. “The Moore-Miller administration will always be champions for LGBTQ+ Marylanders, protecting their rights and ensuring they have access to the tools and resources they need at all intersections of life to prosper and thrive.”
ASHWANI JAIN
Former Obama administration official and federal government staffer Ashwani Jain has operated a gubernatorial campaign founded in grassroots principles reminiscent of those that U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and others have implemented.
Refusing campaign contributions from political action committees (PACs) and what the campaign defines as “developers, businesses … or polluters,” Jain has sought to define the campaign using resident-exclusive organizing and detailed policy plans released early in the campaign cycle.
At 32 years old, Jain would be the youngest governor in the nation if he were elected alongside running mate LaTrece Hawkins Lytes.
On LGBTQ issues, Jain issued a policy statement affirming his commitment to fighting anti-LGBTQ discrimination if he were to win.
“To those who feel marginalized for their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, I want to assure you that you are welcome in Maryland — and you make us stronger!” Jain wrote.
Jain’s policy on LGBTQ issues includes proposals including a prohibition on discrimination in housing and jury selection and introducing legislation to protect individuals’ and couples’ access to surrogacy, adoption, foster care, health insurance application. Jain has also called for state non-discrimination laws to be reformed to omit religious exemptions.
“We as a society must ensure we always provide equal access to all state-run services; protect all from any type of discrimination; and provide appropriate training to all state agencies and departments,” Jain wrote.
JON BARON
Jon Baron has previously served as a congressional staffer and an official in the Clinton, Bush and Obama White Houses, drafting programs and policies related to issues that include technology companies and social spending.
Running alongside Maryland Business Roundtable for Education Senior Director of Communications and Public Affairs Natalie Williams, Baron has sought to bring his experience in crafting policy and programs on various issues to the role of Maryland governor.
While he did not respond to request for comment regarding policies LGBTQ-related policies he would implement if elected governor, Baron has previously expressed support for the community as part of his campaign platform.
“This month and every month, we celebrate the enormous contributions the LGBTQ+ community has made to our state – and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring LGBTQ+ rights are protected in Maryland and across the country,” Baron wrote on Twitter on June 1.
JOHN KING
Former U.S. Secretary of Education and current University of Maryland Professor John King has sought to make his plans for and experience in education a cornerstone of his campaign.
With his running mate, Women’s Law Center of Maryland Executive Director Michelle Siri, King has leaned on such educational experience as he has crafted education proposals and plans to implement expanded student debt relief in the state. King has also publicly spoken to his support of the LGBTQ community.
In an op-ed the Blade published last month, King described his plans to support the LGBTQ community in his state should he be elected. These included expanding LGBTQ-related health services, implementing anti-discrimination policies in education and long-term care facilities, introducing further violence prevention and intervention programs aimed at protecting LGBTQ individuals and investment in LGBTQ-owned businesses.
“This Pride Month and beyond, LGBTQ+ Americans need more than empty allyship from politicians, governments, and corporations — they need someone who will stand with them and provide tangible support,” King wrote. “I’m running for governor to be a real defender, ally, and advocate for LGBTQ+ Marylanders, and to make our state a safe place for all Americans to live.”
JEROME SEGAL
Jerome Segal, author and founder of the organization Bread and Roses, has used his candidacy to emphasize what he sees as the importance of understanding national history and the power the governor’s office in Maryland.
Running alongside Galena Town Councilman Justinian Dispenza, Segal has proposed guaranteed paid, basic employment of at least 32 hours per week, intergovernmental personnel sharing programs between Maryland and foreign countries, progressive tax transformation and introducing legislation for a four-day work week. Segal told the Blade that with regards to LGBTQ rights he respects an individual’s right to privacy and is willing to support both statewide and national codification of the right to privacy to protect the community.
“My view is actually that what we should do is amend the Constitution,” he said. “We should put in there a specific right to privacy and expand on it if we want to but just having an explicit right to privacy in the Constitution will mean that right-wing people on the court can’t say that you guys just invented the right to privacy and it’s not in the Constitution because we’ll make it explicit and we’ll put it in the Constitution.”
REPUBLICANS:
KELLY SCHULZ
Former Labor and Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz has received Hogan’s endorsement in the Republican primary and has cemented her status in recent polling as a top contender for the party’s nomination.
Schulz and her running mate Maryland Air National Guard Col. Jeff Woolford, have vowed to advocate for statewide tax cuts and resist any effort made by the state legislature to raise residents’ taxes.
A cornerstone of Schulz’s campaign is her parental bill of rights, aimed at increasing parental involvement in the operations and functioning of Maryland schools.
“We need to be able to make sure that every public school is working regardless of the zip code our children live in,” Schulz said at a debate on education on Monday. “We need to be able to make sure that it’s functioning. That’s why, several months ago, I introduced the parental bill of rights to be able to make sure that parents are empowered in their educational options for their children.”
Schulz has not responded to requests for comment about her campaign’s LGBTQ-specific platform.
DAN COX
Endorsed by former President Donald Trump, state Del. Dan Cox has represented District 4 in the House of Delegates since 2019.
Running alongside Naval Academy Law Professor Gordana Schifanelli, Cox’s policy stances have mirrored much of those championed by the former president and his allies on the national stage. Cox has used his staunchly right-wing policy stances to attempt to separate himself from Schulz.
Cox as recently as last October has sought to amend an education bill to restrict what he has referred to as “classroom indoctrination” regarding gender identity instruction in grades K through 3.
“The intent of protecting our children from classroom indoctrination is something we should all agree on at that age,” Cox said.
ROBIN FICKER
Realtor Robin Ficker has been politically active in recent years through the proposal of multiple ballot initiatives in Maryland. He also practiced law as a defense attorney prior to his disbarment earlier this year.
Alongside running mate LeRoy Yegge, Jr., Ficker’s campaign has rested heavily on the promise of eliminating two cents from the state’s sales tax. The ticket has also proposed the creation of a jobs strike force that would aim to respond to the expansion of large companies and induce them into relocating new operations and employment openings to Maryland.
“We should have those jobs here, but the Maryland Department of Commerce has been asleep,” Ficker said in a debate Monday night. “I’m not going to be asleep as your governor; I’m going to be helping you get jobs.”
Ficker has not publicly commented about LGBTQ issues.
JOE WERNER
Joe Werner practices as a family law attorney in D.C. He has also run for the House of Delegates in previous elections.
With running mate Minh Thanh Luong, Werner has expressed support for charter schools and a number of conservative initiatives, including opposing abortion access after 15 weeks of pregnancy and reducing economic regulation. He has also called for a temporary suspension to gas taxes following sharp increases in global oil and gas prices.
While Werner had previously identified as a Democrat in past elections, he has said he feels his ideological moderation is a positive aspect for Marylanders to consider when evaluating his candidacy.
“I feel I’m more of a Marylander moderate,” Werner said in an interview with the Maryland State Bar Association on Tuesday. “I feel like I represent the people right, I will think about what’s helping the people, not just what’s helping the special interests and that’s why I think I would be the best candidate.”
Werner has not publicly commented about LGBTQ issues and did not respond to a request for comment.
Maryland
Va., Md., advocates brace for next fight after Supreme Court sports ruling
Neither state has statewide ban on trans student athletes
On June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for states to enforce laws barring transgender students from participating on school sports teams consistent with their gender identity, a decision LGBTQ advocates say could encourage additional restrictions across the country.
While neither Maryland nor Virginia currently has a statewide ban on trans student athletes, advocates say the decision could reshape future legislative battles and school policies throughout the region.
Directly following the case, attorneys for trans student athletes spoke out about the case and how detrimental it could be to students.
“This ruling is deeply harmful for transgender women and girls who only asked for the ability to participate in sports with their peers,” said Sasha Buchert, senior attorney and director of the Nonbinary and Transgender Rights Project for Lambda Legal, in a press release from the American Civil Liberties Union.
The next step is figuring out how states will move forward, specifically in Maryland and Virginia.
As of right now, neither state has bans on trans athletes in schools. The new Supreme Court decision also does not require states to enact bans, only that bans are allowed if states or school districts choose to enforce them.
According to the ACLU, 27 states have banned trans youth from participating in school sports since 2020. Most of these states also require sex testing, which the organization says is invasive for all female athletes.
Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman said that while she has heard a lot of frustration following the decision, people are ready to take action.
“Families, parents and youth have lived through disappointing changes to the Virginia Department of Education’s model policies for the treatment of transgender students, and the Virginia High School League’s decades-old policy that allowed transgender students an opportunity to play sports with their friends,” Rahaman said in a statement to the Washington Blade.
She believes they are not ready to give up this fight quite yet.
As of now, trans and nonbinary students are protected under Virginia law, and Rahaman wants that to continue.
“This ruling will likely embolden right-wing members of the General Assembly to pursue trans athlete bans, and we will continue to defeat every bill like we have the past five legislative sessions. Now is our time to be proactive,” Rahaman said.
She also calls upon Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger to defend trans youth in Virginia from what she describes as bullies and to continue to stand up to federal attacks on the trans community in general.
For trans students, Rahaman wants to ensure that they continue to know that they belong and have a place in school sports.
“To the transgender young people watching this decision unfold: you belong on your team, in your school, in your community, and here in Virginia. This ruling does not change that. A single Supreme Court decision cannot define your worth or your future,” Rahaman said.
For people who may be outside the community but want to help, she encourages them to speak with trans and nonbinary people in their community, befriend the families of youth to show their support, and continue to speak up on these issues when needed.
According to ACLU of Virginia, high schooler Eliza Munshi was told she could not compete on the girls’ track team because she was trans. To prove a point, she decided to compete with the boys.
She had previously competed on the girls’s track team before her Virginia school decided to enforce the ban demanded by President Donald Trump. With pink hair and pink makeup, she decided to continue her love for the sport alongside boys. According to Munshi, her entire community rallied for her.
“I did it to prove a point. I knew I could do it. I knew it wouldn’t phase me. My gender itself and that label has been the least important part of my transition: I want to look how I want to look. I want to dress how I want to dress. If you don’t like that, then that’s not my business,” Munshi said.
DOE has launched Title IX probe against Md. school districts
In the weeks leading up to the ruling, multiple Maryland school districts were included in a Title IX probe stating that not enforcing sex-based protections guaranteed by federal law. Currently, there have been no updates on the lawsuit or the district’s decisions.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, the federal probe is based on parent complaints that the school districts were violating a specific Trump-Vance administration addition to Title IX, stating it aligned the sex-based protections “with biological reality, not ideological fantasy.”
According to FreeState Justice, an LGBTQ advocacy group in Maryland, while this is a disappointing ruling to see, they will continue to fight for trans student-athletes in Maryland and want trans youth to know that they belong.
“Every young person deserves the opportunity to participate in school and community life without being singled out because of who they are. These decisions send a harmful message to transgender youth that they are somehow less deserving of that opportunity,” said Phillip Westry, the group’s executive director.
Westry wants to make sure the community knows that their commitment to the organization has not changed and will continue to provide the same legal services they have prior and to advance policy solutions, to ensure “every LGBTQ+ Marylander can live with dignity, safety, and equal opportunity.”
Another issue brought up by trans advocates is the issue of testing women to determine whether they are biologically female or not.
According to Human Rights Watch, as of 2023, World Athletics required cis women with increased testosterone levels to undergo medical procedures to have it reduced to avoid advantages. Other forms of “sex verification” may include genetic testing, screenings of an athlete’s anatomy or chromosomes.
However, this can become detrimental because not all women have ovaries, a uterus, or XX chromosomes, meaning cisgender women could potentially be included in these bans, depending on how the specific state plans to enforce them.
Maryland
Eastern Shore school board wants an 18-and-over rule for young adult books
Classics like ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and ‘Little Women’ might be off limits to most students
By LIZ BOWIE | Somerset County’s school board is considering barring students under the age of 18 from reading any young-adult literature in school libraries, essentially restricting all but 12th graders from checking out books written for teens and tweens.
The proposed policy also calls for the superintendent to discipline librarians if “adult” reading material appears in the children’s section.
The policy defines young adult as students over 18. “Young adults are not minors and books suitable for young adults shall be placed on a separate Young Adults library section to reflect age-appropriate literature,” a draft of the policy says.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Maryland
‘Girlfriends’ wanted for murder in Silver Spring arrested in Ohio
Montgomery County police charged both with killing mother of one of them
Two women identified as a couple who have been wanted by Montgomery County, Md. police for allegedly killing the mother of one of them in her Silver Spring home on May 22 were arrested on June 10 in Ohio, according to a police statement.
The little-noticed statement released on June 11 says Vanessa Wahanganisa Tjongarero-Henderson, 29, of Clarksburg, Md., and Samantha Raebel, 36, of Phoenix, Ariz., who police earlier described as “girlfriends,” were apprehended by police in Genoa, Ohio after a local resident recognized them from news media coverage of the murder.
In their initial statement on June 4 announcing their investigation of the murder, Montgomery County Department of Police said they had charged the two women with first-degree murder for the death of Hilde Henderson, 67, who was the mother of Vanessa.
“Through the course of the investigation, detectives identified Henderson’s daughter, Vanessa Tjonhgarero-Henderson, and Vanessa’s girlfriend, Raebel, as the suspects,” the police statement said. It said detectives obtained an arrest warrant for the two women for first-degree murder and asked the public for help in locating them.
“A nationwide search was launched for the suspects, with media coverage extending throughout Ohio, Nashville, and Phoenix,” the most recent statement on June 11 announcing the two women’s arrest says. “Major Crimes Division detectives received multiple tips from several states before the two women were ultimately located in Genoa, Ohio,” it says.
It adds that an autopsy determined the cause of Hilde Henderson’s death was blunt-force trauma injuries brought about by a murder. Police have yet to disclose whether they have determined a motive for the murder.
“Tjongarero-Henderson and Raebel are currently being held at the Ottawa County [Ohio] Detention Center awaiting extradition to Maryland,” the statement concludes.
A spokesperson for the Office of the Montgomery County State’s Attorney, which prosecutes criminal cases in the county, told the Washington Blade the extradition was still pending and the two women had yet to be brought back to Maryland for prosecution as of June 29.
CBS News reported on June 16 that shortly after the two women fled almost 500 miles to Genoa, Ohio, they met a local resident at a fast-food restaurant and asked her for help, claiming they were homeless.
“They said they were living in Maryland,” CBS News quoted the resident, Adrienne Behrman, as saying. “They had taken what little money they had and left a toxic living situation, and they were headed to Arizona,” Behrman told CBS.
According to the CBS report, Behrman, who allowed the women to temporarily stay in her home, became suspicious that the stories they were telling her did not add up.
When one of them asked her for cigarettes and offered to reimburse her through the online Cash App payment platform, Behrman learned the woman’s real name—Henderson—through the app. Behrman then did an online search, “and that is when everything unraveled,” CBS reports, saying the search led to multiple press reports that the women were wanted for murder.
After leaving her home with the two women inside she called 911 to report the location of two people wanted for murder, CBS reports, adding that at least six police cars arrived and used a loud speaker to order the women out of the house and arrested them.
“I just hope the family and friends who knew the mother can have some peace,” Behrman told CBS News.
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