On the one hand, we have a better chance of passing these bills than ever before. Last year, both of these bills received favorable votes in all of their Committee hearings, and passed successfully through one chamber of the Assembly for the first time since the bills were introduced in 2008. Despite making it to the floor of the final chamber for consideration, both bills fell short of the necessary votes at the last minute, and were sent back to Committee. We are cautiously optimistic that the support of a few key legislators and the Governor will make the difference this year on both bills, and bring long-awaited protections for our community.
On the other hand, victory on these two bills is far from guaranteed. Like last year, those opposed to legal equality for the LGBT community will be coming out in full force, pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into misinformation and bigotry in the name of defeating the bills. Paradoxically, the increased visibility of LGBT individuals and families who are living their lives openly and asking for equal treatment under the law has drawn out opponents working to solidify opinions against us. As a result, the number of state legislators who are still on the fence is dwindling. It is far from certain that Equality Maryland and our coalition partners will be able to sway enough legislators to make up the difference and pass either of these essential bills.
One thing is certain – without the help of many, many people from the LGBT community and its allies, success is impossible. Unless legislators hear from their constituents and understand how people are directly harmed without the protections provided by these bills – how transgender people live in disproportionate poverty and end up homeless because they have been fired from their jobs, how couples who have been together and provided love and support for each other for decades lose their homes or access to their children because the law doesn’t recognize their family– we will never be able to convince those last few legislators that we need to win. Success will require hours upon hours of browbeating legislators, gathering postcards and supporting correspondence, writing letters to the editors of local publications, making phone calls, knocking on doors, and walking the halls of the legislative buildings in Annapolis to ensure that we have the votes to win. Victory will not come easy.
We must do everything in our power to seize the opportunity that is before us – and this means committing to action and engagement as never before. There can be no doubt – member of the LGBT community must get involved. The heartbreak experienced after last year’s stinging defeats on both of these bills, after we came so close and fought with such passion only to come home empty-handed, is impossible to measure or even describe. The only antidote to the power of oppression is to use pain as fuel for motivation, and renewed commitment.
Now, more than ever, we need people to step forward and get involved. Whether it means coming to Annapolis to meet with your legislators on our annual Lobby Day, helping out for a few hours with phone banking to help us build support in key districts around the state, or committing to helping us financially by becoming a sustaining monthly donor, we need everyone to step forward and do what they can.
Martin Luther King, Jr., once said that “every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” Even though the fight will be hard, it will be worth it when transgender people no longer have to worry about having a face-to-face interview where an employer might find out their gender history, and when same-sex couples no longer have to worry about whether the hospitals, insurance companies, employers, and the courts will recognize equal status for them under the law.
When the General Assembly ends on April 9th, we hope that we will be able to celebrate our accomplishments this year, and know that we’ve advanced LGBT equality in our State. We hope that you will join us and be part of this final, crucial effort to achieve the justice so long denied. To get involved, please go to www.equalitymaryland.org. If you are visiting our beautiful state for Creating Change, reach out to your own state group when you get home (you can find them all at www.equalityfederation.org)!
Honorable Patrick Wojahn
Chair, Equality Maryland Foundation
Councilmember, College Park City Council
