Trans Rights Law in Effect
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AN INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR THE LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER COMMUNITIES OUT October 3, 2014 | Volume XII, Issue 11 Kelly Neel Resigns from GLCCB BY STEVE CHARING changes over the past 15 months including Kelly Neel, interim executive director of the the sale of the long-held building on Chase GLCCB, resigned on September 19. She was Street and the eventual move to its current appointed to that post shortly after the resig- headquarters in the Waxter Center. The Cen- Kelly nation of the previous executive director Matt ter endured much criticism from the commu- Neel Thorn in April. The effective date of her resig- nity on the sale of the building and its shifting credit: cour- tesy of Kelly nation is October 3. of Pride to the Mount Royal area just north of Neel “It has been a tumultuous time for the or- its previous location in the Mt. Vernon neigh- ganization, which has been in transition for borhood. quite some time now,” Neel wrote in an email In July the Center came under fire during to community members, colleagues and an open town hall meeting over issues of di- friends. “While I believe that we have navi- versity on the board, transparency, the move gated the past year to the best of our abilities, of the Pride venue and other matters. Since I no longer feel that my values and my vision then, under Neel, the Center moved swiftly to align with those of our leadership, and have address this disquiet by posting more infor- since made the decision to focus my talents mation, such as financial statements, board elsewhere.” meeting minutes and board applications (the The GLCCB has undergone critical —continued on p. 3 Trans Rights Law in Effect BY STEVE CHARING to petition the law to referendum. On October 1, the Fairness for All Mary- “This law is critical in the lives of transgen- landers Act of 2014 went into effect. This der Marylanders,” said Equality Maryland’s Ex- law updates the state’s anti-discrimination ecutive Director Carrie Evans in a statement. laws in the areas of employment, housing, “For too long it has been okay to fire transgen- places of public accommodation and credit der people, kick them out of their apartments to include transgender individuals. and deny them service at a restaurant.” Previous attempts to pass compre- Currently six local jurisdictions in Mary- hensive non-discrimination legislation land have anti-discrimination laws that include based on gender identity failed in Mary- protections for transgender people: Balti- land’s General Assembly. On March 4, more, Howard and 2014, however, Senate Bill 212 passed the Montgomery Coun- PHOTOS Maryland Senate with a 32-15 vote. The ties, Baltimore City, House of Delegates passed the measure College Park and FROM on March 27 with a 82-57 vote. Senator Hyattsville. Mary- THE Rich Madaleno (D-Montgomery) and Del- land joins 17 states egate Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore City) and the District of GAY were the law’s chief sponsors in the Gen- Columbia in provid- ’20S eral Assembly. ing anti-discrimina- The bill was signed by Gov. O’Malley on tion protections to May 15. Opponents were unsuccessful in transgender peo- Fairness for All Marylanders Act signed into law their attempts to gather enough signatures ple. t —continued on page 10 2 t BALTIMORE OUTLOUD OCTOBER 3, 2014 • BALTIMOREOUTLOUD.COM CRISEAN IS USING MusIC TO INSPIRE OTHERS – continued from page 1 NEWS // LOCAL KELLY NEEL RESIGNS FROM GLCCB the GLCCB there has been a culture of dis- – continued from page 1 connect between the various organizations that provide services to our LGBTQ commu- latter has since been removed), on their web- nity. It is a shame that there isn’t more com- site to be more transparent. Moreover, start- munication and collaboration, as people are ing in August, board meetings became open oftentimes unaware of the services available to the public. in their own neighborhoods. Neel acknowledged the concerns in her “In the future, I hope the dots can be con- email message. “To those who attended the nected and the city of Baltimore, all of its pro- town hall and were brave enough to speak up viders and organizations can work in unison and air their concerns about the organization, towards creating a safer, more supportive, thank you for your honesty. Without commu- and robust home for Baltimore’s LGBTQ resi- nity input, we couldn’t possibly be successful dents and visitors. The more we work togeth- in providing the programming, services, and er, the higher we can lift one another.” events that are needed. It is my deepest hope Mike McCarthy, President of the Board, that the GLCCB’s Board of Directors and fu- was surprised by the resignation prior to the ture leadership will continue to listen and will completion of the selection process. “We cer- take the community’s input to heart.” tainly acknowledge that Kelly didn’t enter the Neel thanked the multitude of volunteers role in an ideal situation and had a difficult who have helped the Center. She wished the transition from Matt (Thorn),” McCarthy told Center luck and explained she is not leaving Baltimore OUTloud. “We appreciate the work Baltimore’s LGBT community and pledges Kelly did while serving in an interim capacity to stay involved to advocate for those in the and wish her the best in her future endeav- community who need it the most. ors.” She adds, “I would also like to use this It appears that Joel Tinsley-Hall has been opportunity to say that during my tenure at hired as the new executive director. t PFLAG and GRMD to Celebrate Trans Rights BY STEVE CHARING were unsuccessful. PFLAG and GRMD The Howard County chapter of PFLAG and played key roles in the passage of FAMA Gender Rights Maryland (GRMD) will hold a working behind the scenes with legislative celebration of the passage of the Fairness leaders. for All Marylanders Act (FAMA). The legisla- “We are excited to celebrate with our tion, SB212, which prohibits discrimination PFLAG allies on the occasion of the gender in employment, housing, credit, and public identity protections taking effect in Mary- accommodations based on gender identity, land,” said Brackett. “Without their support in was passed during the 2014 Maryland Gen- Annapolis and Howard and Baltimore Coun- eral Assembly and signed into law by Gov- ties this would never have been a reality.” t ernor Martin O’Malley. Opponents failed to garner the requisite number of signatures to place the measure on the November ballot. Sharon The effective date of the law is October 1. Brackett The “pot luck” celebration will take place (left) and on October 14 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Catherine Owen Brown Interfaith Center, 7246 Cra- Hyde dlerock Way, Columbia, Maryland. “We are very pleased to be able to cel- ebrate the passage of the Fairness for all Marylanders Act,” Heath Goisovich, event coordinator and advocacy committee co- chair, told Baltimore OUTloud. “We have been working on this for a long time and are pleased to know that all transgender Mary- landers will be treated equally under the law.” Led by Sharon Brackett, GRMD board chair, and Catherine Hyde and Heath Go- isovich of PFLAG, both organizations were instrumental in getting similar laws passed in Howard and Baltimore Counties in 2011 and 2012, respectively as statewide attempts BALTIMORE OUTLOUD OCTOBER 3,, 2014 • BALTIMOREOUTLOUD.COM t 3 NEWS // local At the scene was Harris who appeared Woman Stabs to have self-inflicted non-life-threatening lac- Speak Fire Panel In addition to the panel discussion erations to the interior of her forearms and events, HIV testing by Chase Brexton Girlfriend to Death abdomen. Both Johnson and Harris were Series Launches Health Services will be available onsite. transported to separate hospitals, and John- The next Speak Fire panel will take BY STEVE CHARING son succumbed despite medical interven- with ‘House’ place on November 13. The theme is “Un- On September 23, Baltimore City Police ar- tion. earthing Our Trans Queer Legacy.” t rested and charged Tamala Harris, 25, in Harris was treated and released after ini- connection with the tially refusing medical treatment. She was BY STEVE CHARING stabbing death of then transported to the Homicide Section. The Center for Black Equity Baltimore and her girlfriend Tekeya Harris told the officer that she had a domes- the FreeState Legal Project have part- Amanda Johnson, tic fight with Johnson. An independent wit- nered to host a “Speak Fire” panel series 12th Annual 24, in the 6000 block ness reported hearing the women cursing for black LGBTQ folks and allies. Its pur- Black Pride of Amberwood Road and yelling at each other prior to the police’s pose is to reflect on histories of great re- arrival. Harris reportedly told a medic on the in the Northeast sec- sistance and love with the goal being that The Center for Black Equity-Baltimore (for- scene that her girlfriend was stabbed. Sev- tion of Baltimore. understanding the lives of all human be- merly Baltimore Black Pride) will be spon- eral knives were recovered from the apart- According to po- ings matter. soring its 12th Annual Baltimore Black ment, and evidence indicated there had lice charging docu- The first of these panels will be a discus- Pride (BBP) 2014 Celebration. This year’s been a struggle prior to the stabbing. ments, officers re- sion on “What Do You Know About House.” theme is, “I Am Black Pride.” The Center According to court records, Harris was sponded to a report It will take place on October 9 from 6 to 7:30 for Black Equity-Baltimore is a member of charged with Second Degree Murder, First at around 5 a.m.