January 27, 2012 | Volume IX Issue 19 O’Malley Publicly Talked About His Support for the Same Sex Marriage a Few Words with Sue Hyde Bill
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Marriage Equality Tops Gov’s Agenda O’Malley introduces same-sex marriage bill By Rev. MeRedith Moise On a sunny Tuesday in front of the governor’s mansion, Gov. Martin OUT January 27, 2012 | Volume IX Issue 19 O’Malley publicly talked about his support for the same sex marriage A Few Words with Sue Hyde bill. The governor sent the bill to the Maryland General Assembly for Director of the Creating Change conference consideration on Monday, January By dana LaRocca “participating in grassroots political activ- 23. Surrounded by Sue Hyde has been working ity than there were 20 or 30 years ago. So clergy from across with the National Gay and Les- we’ve seen a real explosion of interest and the state, Gov. bian Task Force since 1986. activism on the part of, not just of those us O’Malley explained She was the news editor at Gay who work at LGBT organizations, but peo- that the bill is about Community News in Boston ple who live their lives in all kinds of work providing protec- from 1983 to 1985. Prior to that, environments, school environments, reli- tion for same sex Gov. Martin gious environments and bring their LGBT she worked in St. Louis, Mis- couples and their o’Malley souri, on a number of different activist energy to those places and spaces. families. organizing projects producing I think that’s a real difference between now According to the governor, “All women’s music and women’s and then.” of us want the same things for our cultural events. For about sev- She explains that change is the result children; we are bound together by en years, she organized a wom- of a rise in a general level of confidence. a common thread.” The mood was an’s athletic program and wrote “As more non-discrimination laws have upbeat as Sen. Richard Madeleno re- for the local Gay and Lesbian been passed and more and more people sponded to the governor statements. News Telegraph, in St. Louis. come out and more and more companies “As a parent you know your child will Baltimore OUTloud asked and corporations and educational institu- find love and you don’t choose who her how activism has changed tions and religious institutions take posi- that is,” the Montgomery County dem- since her early days in the tions of support for LGBT people, our abil- ocrat declared. The governor also re- movement. ity to be visible and to identify ourselves minded the crowd that other states There are a lot more peo- has really increased. have moved forward with marriage s ue hyde ple now who are interested in —continued on page 3 equality. Gov. O’Malley said, “Other states have found a way forward, and we need to as well.” O’Malley A Conversation with the makers of This is What Love in Action Looks Like addressed concerns voiced by vocal religious opponents of the bill. born and raised there, that blog entry I called up some people “This bill guarantees protection and I went to White Sta- that went to White Station as students of religious liberty and equal rights Message in a Bottle tion High School, which and they had already heard about it and under the law,” the governor as- By dana LaRocca is the same high school that Zack went they were friends of this kid; Zack. sured those present. This session’s This is What Love in Action Looks Like is to. I knew several friends of his that were So immediately, we started doing re- bill has a number of exemptions for a moving documentary about a 16-year- still in the school at White Station back in search. faith communities and religious or- old boy whose parents sent him away to 2005, and just somewhere out of nowhere, —continued on page 15 ganizations that object to gay and a “pray away the gay camp” in Memphis I read a blog in Mem- lesbian couples. Rev. Sam Offer, Tennessee. The film was six years in the phis about this teen- a Unity Fellowship minister who making, and it premiered in Baltimore on ager being forced leads the state marriage coalition’s Saturday January 21, at the Creative Alli- into a place that was black church outreach, believes that ance. Baltimore OUTloud spoke the prior designed to change Gov. O’Malley is very sincere in his evening with the director, Morgan Jon Fox, sexuality through re- pledge to support marriage equal- and co-producers, Peterson Toscano and ligion. ity. Rev. Offer recalls, “There was a Bruce Garrett. At that time, I lot of good energy coming from the Meeting in a small booth in the down- didn’t know anything governor this morning.” This minis- stairs corner of the Mount Vernon Stables about Love in Action. ter believes that the governor’s sup- and Saloon, a lively discussion ensued. I had heard about port will make a difference in pas- Morgan Jon Fox delved quickly into the a place like that in sage of the bill. “I am very hopeful genesis of the film, Memphis but I didn’t that the bill will pass,” he notes. Morgan John Fox: We all have differ- know, it’s like I heard Rev. Offer believes that Mary- ent routes into it and that’s what is exciting,” about it in passing, —continued on page 4 he said. “I’m from Memphis, Tennessee, so as soon as I read news // LOCAL Sandy Rawls Speaks Out don’t have anything else to rely on. This city hasn’t given them anything now we By dana LaRocca problem. can talk about it diplomatically, or, or we Co-Publishers Jim Becker • Jim Williams Sandy Rawls is arguably the matriarch of “As far as this prostitution thing that’s can get the ACLU involved, or all these [email protected] transgender rights in Baltimore. Sandy is going on, we’re making progress, there agencies involved.’” Executive Editor the executive director of Trans-United. is some paradigm set up to do something She said she would even consider fil- Jim Becker Trans-United is an organization under about it. I don’t want to reinvent the wheel ing “a lawsuit against the city, because [email protected] Fusion Partnerships. a grass-roots fis- although me and council- the truth of the mat- Managing Editor cal sponsor social justice non-profit orga- man stokes had been work- ter is that we have Dana LaRocca [email protected] nization in Baltimore City. They provide ing on the issue. I don’t a protected class of Production Director resources to the transgender community know what his communi- people in this city that Bill Andriette through community outreach, providing re- cation skills are with ev- has not yet seen the Sales Director sources such as a GED tutoring program, erybody else but we have benefit of Baltimore Mary Taylor housing assistance, and helping with med- been working on the issue city supporting its [email protected] ical needs. trying to put something for- transgender citizens. Leather Columnist “I just want to shed some light on ward,” Sandy said. They have not done Rodney Burger Trans-United’s position on what’s going The initiative in Lower that. We have noth- Contributing Writers Shawn Bradley • Cathy Brennan • Terrence Brower • on now in the community and the problem Charles Village will target ing whatsoever that is Steve Charing • Jeffrey Clagett • Jeffrey Clouser • Chuck Duncan with the city actually,” Sandy said. the John’s. She said that directed at the trans • Gerry Fisher • Eva Hersh MD • Sam Kunz • Jessica Lemmo • community coming Jay Loane • Meredith Moise • Vann Mills • Colin Riley • She is pleased with recent efforts of that’s a good idea but that Gregg Shapiro • city officials in helping to end the problems it falls short. from the city.” of the targeting of sex-workers in Lower “Targeting the John’s Sandy says that Graphics Charles Village and the conditions suf- when it comes down to cis- we need to have a Joe Velasquez • Bob Wellington fered by incarcerated transgender citizens. gender sex workers hasn’t place for at risk trans- Cartoonist However, she says, the city is not doing done anything. Targeting gender people to go, Bruce Garrett (www.brucegarrett.com) enough. the Johns; what that does a city funded founda- Photographers Bruce Garrett • Jay W Photos • Justin Nixon She told Baltimore OUTloud, “We have is it make a ‘wow’ factor. sandy Rawls tion, “and that foun- a relationship, but it seems that nothing is OK, they say ‘wow look dation has to look Web Editor Anja Saine happening; like being in a marriage where at them, they are getting like a drop in center, [email protected] two people are sleeping in the same house caught and they are trying to find pros- or transitional housing unit; a partnership Managed Web Services The Fusio Group but with different bedrooms. It’s like ‘what titutes and they’re getting caught!’ It’s a with another agency. We need a founda- 866-322-7498, www.thefusiogroup.com are we in this relationship for’ if we can’t great deterrent, it’s a good deterrent to tion for people to spring from, so they can National Advertising Rep capitalize on it, and our people are in keep people out of the community. But blossom and become who they really want Rivendell Media need.” meantime, guess what, they still got a to be in life. But they can’t become who 908-232-2021 Recently, as reported in the December whole bunch of transsexuals standing they want to be in life if they are dealing Founders 30 issue of Baltimore OUTloud, represen- around with nothing to do.