This is why people who don't vote or switch which party they support from election to election ("it's good to have a mix of parties in power") make me so angry. It DOES matter who's in charge -- and it matters that they are Democrats. Maryland's previous governor, Martin O'Malley, shepherded in an era of LGBT equality like the Old Line State had never seen before, and now the National LGBTQ Task Force reports this ...
Maryland Governor Snubs LGBTQ Rights During First 24 Hours on the Job
In his first day in office, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has taken
executive actions to exclude LGBTQ people from nondiscrimination policies. In addition to blocking LGBTQ protections against discrimination in the Medicaid program, the Governor recently issued an Executive Order on state employee conduct that omits gender identity as a protected category.
“We are extremely disappointed by Governor Hogan's intentional exclusion of LGBTQ people from state policies designed to eliminate barriers to fairness and equality. The Governor’s actions in the first 24 hours in office underscores the fact that LGBTQ advocates must redouble our efforts to ensure that LGBTQ people in Maryland are fully protected against discrimination and have access to the health care they need,” said Rea Carey, National LGBTQ Task Force Executive Director.
In 2011 and 2012, the National LGBTQ Task Force worked on the ground in Maryland and provided technical assistance to build capacity to secure voter approval of the law that extended the right to marry to same-sex couples. For much of the last decade, the organization has also provided advocacy, organizing, and infrastructure support to push for the passage of the Fairness for All Marylanders Act.
Governor Hogan has re-issued the Executive Order to include gender identity. They are still reviewing the proposed regulation that would prohibit discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity by Medicaid providers. We will continue to keep the pressure on.
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