When it comes to LGBT history
and its ongoing struggle for equal rights, every year, especially recent ones,
has produced landmark accomplishments and setbacks. Yet 2015 seems to have outdone past years as
victories and defeats have taken on new shapes with longer-lasting effects.
Nationally, we witnessed the
landmark Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage
throughout the country—a decision rooted on Constitutional grounds. Following that epic 5-4 ruling, attempts to
quell the victory were met with resistance and ultimately defeat.
The discriminatory religious
freedom law in Indiana whereby corporations joined with activists to thwart
that attempt and the Kim Davis saga in Kentucky proved that gays’ influence
even in red states is increasing. You
know there is progress if conservative NASCAR joined hands with LGBT activists
in stopping the Indiana law.
These were just a couple of
significant developments in the movement, but what happened in LGBT Baltimore
and Maryland all in one year is simply mindboggling.
Shifting directions of
organizations
For all intents and purposes we
lost Equality Maryland (EQMD).
Technically, the organization is still alive with only a board of
directors, but it’s on life support.
Funding shortfalls doomed EQMD thanks in large part to the achievement
of marriage equality in Maryland. Donations needed to staff the organization and
its initiatives simply dried up.
In June the board laid off Carrie Evans, the executive director. Then it relinquished its Sharp Street office
space. Not long after that the acting
executive director Keith Thirion parted ways as he found new employment.
So, for the first time in
decades, the Maryland General Assembly, which will begin next month, will not
have a viable EQMD presence. This is sad
as the organization, warts and all, worked hard on behalf of Marylanders with plenty
of less glamorous and money-attracting work remaining.
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| FreeState Legal's executive director Patrick Paschall Photo: Bob Ford |
Fortunately, a rising
organization, Baltimore-based FreeState Legal Project, will attempt to fill
that void by continuing to be a watchdog on behalf of the LGBT community and as
an advocate for policies and legislative actions at the state level. Under the capable leadership of its executive
director Patrick Paschall, FreeState Legal, a non-profit that provides legal
services to low income LGBT community members, will assume a greater role in
the near future.
One organization in flux,
however, is the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of
Baltimore and Central Maryland (GLCCB).
The 38 year-old LGBT Baltimore institution has experienced a multitude
of leadership and board changes over the past few years, and 2015 was no
exception. The instability created by
these changes has damaged its brand as many wonder what the GLCCB’s purpose is
other than running the annual Pride events.
And a criminal trial to begin in late January 2016 against the former Pride coordinator Paul Liller could drive a wedge into the
community at a time when fence-mending and sustainable fundraising are crucial
to its success.
Regardless of the outcome, the
GLCCB is pinning the hopes on board president Jabari Lyles and the remainder of
the new board to stabilize the center, assert its relevance, and resume its
program mission moving forward to help attract a steady stream of much-needed
revenue.
The emergence in 2015 of the LGBT Health Resource Center (LHRC) at Chase
Brexton under executive director Nate Sweeney has been a breath of fresh
air. The fledgling group, among other
objectives, focuses on LGBT health and wellness and linking community members
with competent service providers.
Through a partnership with SAGE (Services
and Advocacy for GLBT Elders), LHRC launched the SAGECAP program that addresses
the needs LGBT folks who provide eldercare services and also focuses the needs
of LGBT elders who are becoming a growing segment of the LGBT community.
A new culture of activism
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| Bryanna Jenkins Photo: Brian Gaither |
As older, established
organizations are becoming less relevant today to a younger group of impatient
activists, a new wave of leaders are emerging to try to create visibility and
support to help reach the goal of equality for all. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter protests
that followed a spate of police-involved killings of unarmed African-American
men including Freddie Gray in Baltimore, transgender advocates—mostly but not
entirely African-Americans—banded together, took to the streets in protest marches and
formed a #BaltimoreTRANSUPrising movement to air a list of grievances.
Much of the disquiet centers on police relations with transgender individuals and unsolved murders of transgender victims. Other issues include homelessness among transgender people, better access to health care in general as well as trans-specific health care, and other forms of discrimination, particularly towards transgender people of color. Led by Bryanna Jenkins, Ken Jiretsu, Monica Yorkman and others, many trans folks believe that they have been ignored during the fight for marriage equality and their concerns have been brushed aside.
Much of the disquiet centers on police relations with transgender individuals and unsolved murders of transgender victims. Other issues include homelessness among transgender people, better access to health care in general as well as trans-specific health care, and other forms of discrimination, particularly towards transgender people of color. Led by Bryanna Jenkins, Ken Jiretsu, Monica Yorkman and others, many trans folks believe that they have been ignored during the fight for marriage equality and their concerns have been brushed aside.
Last Call
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| Photo: Bob Ford |
Arguably the most crushing
change in 2015 was the closing of the Club Hippo on October 3. The announcement in May sent shockwaves throughout
Baltimore’s LGBT community and beyond.
As the acknowledged anchor of the Mount Vernon “gayborhood” and the
state’s largest gay bar, hundreds of thousands of people had passed through the
doors of the Hippo over its 43 year-old history. The final night of the dance bar occurred
September 26 with an emotional crowd experiencing the last dance.
For many the Hippo was the first
gay bar they ever patronized. It was a
safe space for those first coming to grips with their sexuality but the
nightclub was also a favorite of straight patrons. The community felt disappointed that the
building is being converted to a CVS drugstore.
A large number of people are questioning if the LGBT community is indeed losing its
identity.
Undoubtedly this was a year of
change for our community—good and bad.
Time will tell what 2016 will bring, but it will be hard to top 2015.
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