2014: the Year That Was
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AN INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR THE LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER COMMUNITIES OUT December 26, 2014 | Volume XII, Issue 17 COM PILED BY sons and their al- law. The same issued of up was Kit Valentine. RODNEY BURGER lies set sail from Baltimore OUTloud that On March 19 Baltimore Mayor Stepha- Baltimore to the carried the headline sto- nie Rawlings-Blake joined the fun and cel- JANUARY – The New Year always Bahamas on Jan- 2014: ry of the mass arrest in ebrated her birthday at the weekly “Gay brings change. Sometimes change is good uary 12 on the apt- Nigeria contained an ar- Bingo” event at the Club Hippo. and sometimes it is not. The headline of ly named Carnival ticle regarding the mar- On March 27 the Fairness for All Mary- the January 10, 2014, issue of Baltimore Pride. Carnival riage of Houston Mayor landers Act of 2014 (SB 212) was approved OUTloud announced a positive change at donated a portion Annise Parker to her life by the House of Delegates by a vote of 82- the Metropolitan Community Church of Bal- of the group’s pro- THE YEAR partner Kathy Hubbard 57 and sent to Governor Martin O’Malley’s timore (MCCB) as the congregation wel- ceeds to Equality in California. desk for final approval. On March 30 hun- comed Reverend Victoria L. Burson, who Maryland. Mr. Pittsburgh dreds of students from Baltimore-area col- arrived in Baltimore from Dallas to be the The LGBT Leather Fetish 2014 leges attended the 2014 B’More senior pastor of MCCB. She also joined the community of THAT WAS Joe Birdwell Proud LGBTQIA Leadership Baltimore OUTloud family as a contributing Baltimore was re- was sashed PRIDE 2015 Summit at Johns Hopkins writer. minded how far we have come at home on Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 2014 Major University. On January 12 the Frederick Center pre- January 16 as human-rights activists report- during Mid-Atlantic Leather Changes sented Lois Jarman with the LGBTQ Ally of ed the mass arrests of gay men in Nigeria Weekend held on January PAGE 3 APRIL – On the Year award for her “tireless efforts over where a new law titled the Same Sex Mar- 17-19 at the Hyatt Capitol Hill in April 14 Baltimore City Police the last decade on behalf of the LGBTQ riage Prohibition Act criminalizes same-sex Washington, D.C. Thomas Idoux from Commissioner Anthony W. Batts ad- community of central Maryland.” marriage, LGBT organizations, and anyone Baltimore was selected first runner-up. dressed a group of LGBT community activ- Equality Maryland hosted their first ever working or promoting them. U.S. Secretary ists and residents at a town hall meeting Equality Cruise as a group of 69 LGBT per- of State John Kerry condemned the new FEBRUARY – On February 4, in- held at the Northwest District Community dividuals on both sides of the Fairness for Action Center. He acknowledged that there All Marylanders Act of 2014 (SB212) ar- are some young officers who are not fully Baltimore Pride 2014 – gued their positions in front of the Maryland sensitive regarding LGBT issues and “more A new location Senate’s Judicial Proceedings Committee. tools need to be added to the toolbox” to provokes yeas and On February 5 the Gay, Lesbian, Bi- remedy the problem. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake officiates nays... and sets in store first same-sex wedding in Baltimore sexual, Transgender Community Center of Over the weekend of April 11-13 leath- changes for Pride 2015 Baltimore and Central Maryland (GLCCB) er folks from all over the Mid-Atlantic area completed negotiations with the City of Bal- came to Baltimore to help Maryland’s first timore Board of Estimates and announced leather club, The ShipMates Club of Balti- plans to move from 241 West Chase Street more celebrate 40 years to the Waxter Center a few blocks away. Alondra Sanchez was crowned Miss The GLCCB sold the building at 241 West Gay Maryland 2014 during the weekend of Chase Street, which had served as their April 25-27. headquarters since 1980, in May of 2013. Also on April 25 the GLCCB announced On February 28 popular drag performer several leadership changes, including the and Baltimore OUTloud columnist Ada Buf- resignation of GLCCB executive director fet (Adrian L. Cowan) passed away at the Matt Thorn. The Center appointed Kelly age of 37. Benefits were held for her family Neel as the organizations interim execu- at various locations around town and a me- tive director. morial / celebration-of-life event was sched- On April 26 nearly 200 people attended uled at The Quest Bar. AIRS 25th Anniversary Gala at the M&T Bank Pavilion at the Hippodrome Theatre. MARCH – On March 9 longtime The event also included a performance Baltimore entertainer Shawnna Alexan- of West Side Story. AIRS, which is short der, Baltimore’s “Queen of Comedy,” was for AIDS Interfaith Residential Services crowned Miss Hippo 2014. First runner-up opened a $6 million dollar 43-unit housing was Sabrina Summers and second runner- —continued on page 2 Baltimore Pride 2014 – A new locations provokes yeas and nays... and sets in store changes for Pride 2015 ‘We Must Have a New Approach’ 2014: THE YEAR THAT WAS 2014: THE YEAR THAT WAS On May 22 the U.S. Postal Service of- Henderson, 26, a transgender woman who – continued from page 1 ficially issued a “Forever” postage stamp in died of “severe trauma.” The discovery honor of the late LGBT rights leader Har- came just six weeks after the murder of project for homeless youth in 2011 in Balti- vey Milk. another transgender woman, Kandy Hall. more’s Park Heights neighborhood. The push to gather 18,500 valid signa- Police did not say if they believed the two MDPetitions.com, a conservative group tures to overturn the Fairness for All Mary- murders were connected. chaired by Delegate Neil Parrott (R-Hager- landers Act failed as proponents of the On July 21 President Obama signed an stown) announced on April 29 that it plans referendum were unable to gather enough to gather signatures to force the Fairness signatures by the May 31 deadline. for All Marylanders Act to be placed on the JUNE – Even with a last minute change of dates and a new location, the GLCCB hosted a successful Baltimore Pride over the weekend of June 14-15. Even with all the changes, the parade con- tained 60 units and an estimated 15,000 people attended the parade and festival on Saturday. Attendance fell greatly for the Sunday event. Also on June 12-15 the B’More QFest June sees Frederick Pride 2014 film event was a big crowd pleaser as nu- merous theaters and venues in downtown Baltimore hosted film screenings, dinners, executive order that bans anti-LGBT dis- and other special functions. crimination among federal contractors and April – Baltimore City Police Commissioner On June 19 the top legislative body of in the federal workforce. Anthony W. Batts addresses LGBT activists the U.S. Presbyterian Church voted by a On July 23 community members con- fronted the GLCCB during a town hall November ballot. The group would need meeting held at the Waxter Center to pro- 18,500 signatures by May 31 and if suc- vide feedback concerning June’s Baltimore cessful, a total of 55,736 validated signa- Pride celebration. tures by June 30. AUGUST – On August 10 the MAY – On May 10 during the Nation- Quest Bar in Baltimore’s Highlandtown al Football League’s annual draft, Michael neighborhood closed after over 14 years. Sam a defensive end who was a star at The building was sold to a developer who the University of Missouri became the first plans to build townhouses on the site. openly gay man to be signed by an NFL On August 26 the GLCCB hosted a so- team when he was selected by the St Louis cial event at Oriole Park as a large group of Rams. LGBT fans gathered to cheer on the first- On May 15 Governor Martin O’Malley place Baltimore Orioles as they played the signed the Fairness for All Marylanders Act M ay – Signing the MD trans rights bill Tampa Bay Rays. The entire total of 100 into law as Maryland joined 16 other states tickets allotted to the GLCBB sold out. It and D.C. with similar bills on the books. large margin to recognize same-sex wed- was the fourth such outing this season. Hundreds gathered in Doubs Woods dings as Christian in the church constitu- The GLCCB held other such events in Park in Hagerstown, Maryland on May 17 tion. April, May, and June. for the 3rd annual Hagerstown Hopes, a Over 3,000 people attended Frederick On August 23, 2014 Don Davis and festival in support of the LGBTQ commu- Pride on June 28. Grand Central held their annual White Par- nity. ty and on August 29 Ashley Bannks was JULY – On July 7 Elliott Brager a —continued on page 8 well-known attorney in Baltimore passed away at the age of 72. Elliott worked in the early days on behalf of the then-named Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Baltimore and openly became an advocate for Baltimore’s gay community at a time when such action could have been a detri- ment to a successful law practice. On July 12 West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle LGBTQ Alliance held its first ever “Pride in the Park” at Morgan’s Grove Park located a mile or two south of Shep- herdstown, West Virginia. On July 16 Bal- G rand Central hosts their A IRS 25th Anniversary Gala in April timore police confirmed the killing of Mia annual White Party in August 2 t BALTIMORE OUTLOUD DECEMBER 26, 2014 • BALTIMOREOUTLOUD.COM NEWS // LOCAL Pride Moves to July and Back to Former Locales BY STEVE CharING Christmas came a little early for those mem- The announcement concerning the bers of the LGBT community who were pin- change in locations drew enthusiastic cheers ing for a return of the Baltimore Pride block from the Grand Central patrons.