Governor O’Malley Supports Marriage Equality

Last year O’Malley supported a similar same sex marriage bill, which did not pass.  This year he presents a similar bill that expands more on the religious freedom aspect.  The bill was sent to the Maryland General Assembly on January 23rd. Many are saying that the bill is likely to go to referendum, meaning that Maryland citizens will vote for the bill on the November 2012 ballot. The largest population who oppose the bill are conservative African American, Islamic, Jewish, and Roman Catholic churches.  Even so, Reverend Starlene Joyner Burns spoke in favor of the bill and says she hopes that “every adult will be able to get a marriage license and they can marry the person they love” (qtd. from abc video). This bill attempts to obtain marriage equality, while also allowing religious freedom throughout the state of Maryland.  He says in a statement that places of worship that decide not to perform same sex marriages will not be punished.

Listen to Governor O’Malley speak more about the bill in this video:

The National Conference on LGBT Equality

This conference, run by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, is being held in Baltimore City at the Hilton Hotel.  The conference is from January 25th-29th.  Sign up here to volunteer at the conference!

“I am doing the best I can”

The fight for LGBT rights in Baltimore City, the United States, and the world is a necessary, but formidable task. The thought of overturning discriminatory laws and inverting the ignorance that plagues our societies can be intimidating enough to make someone think, “I’m just one person, what could I possibly do to change the status quo?” Although the feelings of isolation and defeat that lead to such questions are real, a change in perspective shows us that we need not feel them. Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize winner and environmental activist, shares a short narrative in this video about the power within each individual to do their part, and the value of even the smallest contribution to a cause.

It Gets Better, Baltimore!

This is a video created by The Den Baltimore in which Baltimore community member speak out on their experiences on LGBT and how their lives got better.

“There are moments when I did feel alone or misunderstood and I think that those dark places sometimes really do help shape who you are.  I don’t think that if I didn’t go through those trials and tribulations that I would be here speaking to you saying that things are not gonna get better, things are gonna get fabulous”