On May 19 and 20, 200 Ride for the Feast cyclists will bike 140 miles from Ocean City, Md. to Baltimore, raising money to feed homebound persons with HIV/AIDS or breast cancer. Ride for the Feast is the largest annual fundraiser for Moveable Feast, according to Ted Blankenship, development director.

Thirty seven years of Baltimore Pride celebrations could not have been made possible without individuals in the community who step up each year to contribute their effort to all of the hard work that goes into the annual celebration.

While Maryland law prohibits employment discrimination based on sexual orientation (for employers with 15 or more employees), such offenses continues to occur in the workplace. Sarah Rutledge learned as much when she was employed by the San Mar Children's Home in Boonsboro, Md.

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Baltimore (GLCCB) has started a comprehensive strategic planning process. With the help of funding from the Goldseker Foundation's Management Assistance Grants, the GLCCB has contracted with Baltimore-based woman-owned Strategic Management Consulting, LLC to facilitate this planning process.

Join Denise Duarte and Marlene Adrian for a meeting to discuss reactivating the Baltimore Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW). The group is seeking nominations for officers and will be preparing for the election of officers at this meeting.

Come talk with a pro bono attorney and financial experts about your estate plans and financial wellness. Get your will, power of attorney, and advance directive drafted and executed so that you and your family are protected. If you don't have your documents in order, you don't have the power—the State does. Don't let the government have the last word. The Will Power Party is free. Food and prizes will be offered. ■

In celebration of their mission to the gay and lesbian community, The First and Franklin Street Presbyterian Church is hosting a section of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. The 54-ton, handmade tapestry honoring more than 90,000 individuals lost to AIDS will be exhibited in Reid Memorial Chapel. The Quilt began with a single 3 x 6 foot panel created in San Francisco in 1987. Today, it is composed of more than 47,000 individual 3 x 6 foot panels, each one commemorating the life of someone who has died of AIDS.

Thespians everywhere adore the amazingly talented Christine Ebersole. She is a force to be reckoned with, mainly because it seems that there is little that she cannot do: Ebersole has won countless awards, including two Tonys. She is most known for her nuanced work on the stage (especially her work as both Big and Little Edie in Grey Gardens), but she also has a fantastic career on the screen. She even sings.

The GLCCB is hosting its first annual "Jew-ish/Gay-ish Passover Seder." The traditional Jewish evening of food, song and prayer is already attracting a diverse audience. Seder coordinator Charlie Mumford spoke to one attendant, Alice Chong, about her faith:

The GLCCB has partnered through its Express Yourself! project with Youth of the Rainbow, to provide their members a voice through workshops, field trips, and art projects.

Have you been a part of Baltimore's LGBT history? As the GLCCB celebrates 35 years, we are embarking on a history project to document and archive Baltimore's LGBT stories. If you'd like to share your story, or can suggest someone we should interview, or want to be part of video-taping, interviewing, developing the questions, collecting historical photos or other materials please contact us. Details of meetings, discussions and interviews times will be sent to you. Contact Marlene at 702.655.2146 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Video Training Session for LGBT History Project

If you'd like to become a part of videotaping these stories we invite you to come to the GLCCB on Saturday, March 10 at 1 p.m. to participate in our camera training session. If you have camera and/or interview experience you also are welcome to come and learn about the project.

Please contact Marlene to RSVP to attend or tell us about your interest, if you cannot join us on Sat., March 10 at 1 p.m.

LGBT HISTORY PROJECT VIDEO TRAINING SESSION
Saturday, March 10 • 1pm • FREE
GLCCB • 241 West Chase St.
Contact Marlene at 702.655.2146 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

A free training session, "A Rose by Any Other Name: Understanding the Name Change Process," will be available to attorneys, paralegals and law students. Nicole Folks, Esq. of Kelliher & Salzer will provide attorneys with the nuts and bolts necessary for name change petition drafting. As an LGBT ally, Folks has been incredibly successful in helping numerous transgender individuals get name changes through the Circuit Court in Baltimore City.

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Baltimore (GLCCB) is congratulating lawmakers and activists after the Maryland Senate passed the Civil Marriage Protection Acton February 23 in a 25 to 22 vote. The House of Delegates passed the marriage equality legislation in a 72 to 67 vote on February 17.

When Patsy Anderson's son was plagued with debilitating allergens in the 1970s, she left a position in the corporate job market. But it was from a basic desire to keep her family financially afloat, that Anderson found herself gathering with neighboring stay-at-home moms to create various crafts for a community-wide fair. While developing what became a monthly community event, Anderson was constantly introduced to wildly varying business ideas that would lack the essential gestalt of effective marketing. So she went on a quest for a potential avenue to help aspiring business owners and entrepreneurs reach their consumer market.

Same-sex marriage could soon become a reality for Marylanders. Even though gaining marriage equality is still a long-running battle, acceptance seems to be on the rise. I had the chance to speak with Amy Becker Ph.D., Assistant Professor at Towson University in the department of Mass Communication and Communication studies, an expert on Gay Marriage and Maryland Legislature. Dr. Becker's research focuses on four different areas in the field of communication: public opinion and citizen participation on controversial political issues; the political effects of exposure and attention to political entertainment (especially late night comedy); new media; and science communication.

The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) was recently designated a "Premier Campus" by Campus Pride, a national nonprofit organization working to create safer campus environments for LGBT students.

Baltimore Black Pride is overhauling their board and welcoming new members for 2012.

Enjoy shopping for treasures? Love finding a bargain? Everyone is encouraged to stop by the GLCCB's indoor yard sale Saturday, February 25 to pursue the many tables of goodies. You'll find one-of-a-kind items, multitudes of books, as well as practical purchase like seriously discounted school and office supplies.

Free State Legal Project was honored by the Brother, Help Thyself Foundation with the Billy Collison Award, January 28. This award is given to a "nonprofit that goes above and beyond, an organization that embodies the spirit of Billy, who was one of our champions at BHT."

"The GLCCB applauds Free State Legal Project's receipt of the Billy Collison Award," said GLCCB Director Gary Wolnitzek. "This award demonstrates the dedication of Free State Legal Project's Board, volunteers, and, especially, Executive Director Lee Ann Hopkins in working to fulfill their mission."

Free State Legal Project is the pro bono and reduced fee legal service for LGBT Marylanders who are experiencing discrimination or other difficulties stemming from their gender identity or sexual orientation.

Free State Legal Project
241 W. Chase St.
410.625.LGBT (5428)
FreeStateLegal.org

On February 8, the Marylanders for Marriage Equality coalition released a web ad featuring local religious and faith leaders who support civil same-sex marriage in Maryland.

When young activists Matt Wolff, Ryan Derham and Andrew Huff had a hard time finding the welcome mat to Baltimore's LGBT neighborhood, they decided to try a different approach: creating one themselves.

Whether you want to call it an "Out of the closet sale" or even a "Drag it out of the closet sale,"  the GLCCB's indoor yard sale is sure to be filled with fabulous treasures, one of a kind items, great bargains and of course, lots of fun. Mark your calendars and come join the fun!

Indoor Yard Sale to Benefit the GLCCB
Saturday, February 25 • 8am-1pm
The GLCCB • 241 W. Chase St.
$10/table rental • FREE to the public
To rent a table contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Maryland's Governor Martin O'Malley introduced the Civil Marriage Protection Act in the Maryland General Assembly January 23. The bill promotes marriage equality for all committed couples and protects religious freedom. It is similar to a bill that died in committee last year, but includes extended religious protections.

With the struggle for legal equality and cultural acceptance of LGBT people still raging in the U.S., it can often be difficult to acknowledge how much the community has shifted. Yet in contrast to Uganda, where anti-gay activists have been fighting to marginalize, arrest, and even destroy LGBT people, the movement in the U.S. has achieved so much.

Know your status and get tested. The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland (GLCCB) is currently offering free and confidential health screenings for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI’s). These screenings are administered by trained counselors with the Baltimore City Health Department. Anyone can receive a screening for HIV, syphilis, chlamydia, and/or gonorrhea every Wednesday between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Equality Maryland announced on November 11 the hiring of former employee Carrie Evans as the new executive director. Evans served as the organization’s Director of Policy and Planning from 2007 to 2009.

Creating Change, an annual leadership and skills-building conference for the LGBT social justice movement, is just around the corner. In January, Charm City will host the event along with thousands of advocates, activists, and organizers from around the nation, but it is going to take a lot of work.

The Marylanders for Marriage Equality coalition announced that civil rights legend Julian Bond, former president of the NAACP, is featured in the group’s fourth web ad supporting marriage equality in Maryland. In the video, Dr. Bond says, “As Chairman Emeritus of the NAACP I know a little something about fighting for what’s right and just. Gay and lesbian couples in Maryland have the same values as everyone else: love, commitment and stable families.”

The video campaign raises the profile of and underscores the diverse support for civil marriage equality in advance of the 2012 legislative session. Governor Martin O’Malley (D-MD) kicked off the effort earlier this month, followed by Baltimore Ravens Linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo and Baltimore native and Oscar Winner Mo’Nique.

The bill to be considered in the Legislature allows same-sex couples to get a government-issued marriage license. Clergy and religious authorities would never have to perform a marriage they did not agree with.

The videos can be viewed at MarylandersForMarriageEquality.org.

Listeners can tune in to Maryland Gay Radio on November 15 to hear host Ted Hart interview Maryland Lt. Gov Anthony Brown, who will share his view of Maryland’s LGBT community and the upcoming fight for Marriage Equality.

A joint press release from PFLAG Columbia-Howard County and Gender Rights Maryland announced that Howard County Councilmembers Courtney Watson (District 1), Calvin Ball (District 2), Jen Terrasa (District 3), and Mary Kay Sigaty (District 4) introduced county legislation to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression in the areas of housing, law enforcement, public accommodations, financing, employment, and health, and social services.

On October 27, Gary Nelson won the Bingo jackpot of $1,000 at Club Hippo’s weekly Gay Bingo. Proceeds from Gay Bingo benefit the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland (GLCCB), but that didn’t stop Nelson from generously donating $100 of his winnings to the Center.

“Over the 9 plus years that Gay Bingo has been hosted at the Hippo, the community has helped to raise over $210,000 to support the GLCCB!” said GLCCB Board President Trevor Ankeny.

“All of us at the GLCCB, the Board, staff, volunteers, and most importantly the community members we serve, send a special thank you to everyone who has come out to play Bingo. It is through this generous and continued support that this important institution has served the LGBT community going on 35 years.”

Bingo is held every Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. Special themed evenings include the upcoming Turkey Bingo on November 16. A total of 20 turkey dinners will be given away, one turkey dinner with each game. The dinners will include the turkey and the trimmings.

Turkey Bingo
Wednesday, Nov. 16 • 8:30pm • $20
Club Hippo • 1 W. Eager St.
410.576.0018 • ClubHippo.com

Since opening its doors just five months ago, Free State Legal Project (FSLP) has already celebrated early victories, such as successfully advocating for a couple that was denied health benefits due to transgender and same-sex discrimination. Yet LGBT Marylanders can expect to see a lot more from the organization in the coming months.

Sharon Brackett, a co-founder of TransParent Day, now in its third year, shares some of her thoughts on the genesis of the celebration and answers questions like, “Can a transwoman be a mother?” This selection is excerpted with permission from several longer pieces by Brackett found at TransParentDay.org, the official website of TransParent Day, “a day that celebrates life and the love between transgender parents and their children, and transgender children and their parents.”

Coalition group Marylanders for Marriage Equality is joining with powerful allies as it moves forward in the fight for same-sex marriage in the Free State.

Additional seats open to interested community members.

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland (GLCCB) recently appointed its latest board member, Jennifer Chapin.

Chapin is a specialist with Xerox where she been employed for the past 13 years. She currently works with customers in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. areas. Chapin is also an active member of GALAXe Pride at Work, Xerox Corporation’s employee resource group for LGBT employees and allies. She serves as the chapter president for Greater Washington, D.C. and vice president of education.

Pride Build with Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery Co. Comes Out for Good Cause

What do the cities of Austin, Texas and Portland, Ore. have in common with Montgomery County, Md? Until last year, not much.

That’s when Bob Bernstein, a former senior official with PFLAG and the devoted dad of a lesbian, became aware of Pride Build in Portland, and began rallying local community members for a similar venture in the Free State. Pride Build gathers members of the LGBT community and its straight allies to rehab a house through Habitat for Humanity.

According to MetroWeekly.com, Morgan Meneses-Sheets, executive director, and Matt Thorn, the director of development, both left Equality Maryland on April 22. Thorn reportedly resigned in protest after Meneses-Sheets was fired:

In a statement, Thorn said: “[T] he Board of Directors of Equality Maryland, in executive session voted to remove her from her position, essentially telling the organization’s staff, volunteers, supporters, funders, and general community that the organization will now move in a different direction.”

Equality Maryland recently announced the hiring of Interim Executive Director Lynne Bowman to replace Morgan Meneses-Sheets. Bowman took time to answer our questions:

A labor of LGBT love four years in the making comes out of the virtual closet when Free State Legal Project begins accepting clients on May 23.

The nonprofit originated with an idea in the minds of a few law students and lawyers from the University of Baltimore and University of Maryland law schools—to “establish a pro bono legal services program that would begin to address the needs of lowincome LGBT persons.”

Baltimore City Hall was the stage for a press conference on July 12, where Marylanders for Marriage Equality announced the launch of a broad coalition effort to pass a civil marriage equality bill in the 2012 legislative session.

Marylanders for Marriage Equality is a statewide coalition of groups, including Progressive Maryland, Equality Maryland, Service Employees International Union, Communications Workers of America, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Human Rights Campaign, Freedom to Marry, Catholics for Equality, the Maryland Black Family Alliance and Pride in Faith.

With the whirlwind of the last Maryland General Assembly still settling, Gay Life wanted to examine the various transgender support and advocacy groups available to our community.

Maryland Gay Radio will feature a special Pride show June 15 at 3:00 p.m. Guests include Gay,  Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgender Community Center of Baltimore & Central Maryland (GLCCB) Board President Trevor Ankeny and Director of Programs and Operations Gary Wolnitzek.

Listeners will learn what they can look forward to at this year’s Pride festivities (June 17-19) and also about the GLCCB and the many ways it serves the community.

“Pride is always an exciting time of year; it’s also a great opportunity for all sides of our diverse community to come together and celebrate,” said Wolnitzek. “Throughout the rest of the year, the Center focuses on ways to help our city’s LGBT community, and Pride is the celebration of that effort.”

The show also offers listeners a chance to call in and ask questions.

“Not only are we hoping to engage the public, but we’re also eager to share information about the services the Center already provides, like free HIV and syphilis testing, transgender support groups, and other groups for women, men, and youth,” explained Ankeny.

Maryland Gay Radio is hosted by Ted Hart, founder of the RGroup, Maryland’s largest gay and lesbian social group. Hart started the online radio program in March 2011 as a way to reach a larger audience and draw attention to issues affecting LGBT Marylanders.

“We need to know each other better, we need to know the issues,” explained Hart. “Maryland Gay Radio is a way to illuminate the issues, bring people together, and give a voice to leaders and members of our community.”

Previous Maryland Gay Radio guests include Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler, Equality Maryland Interim Executive Director Lynne Bowman, and Del. Mary Washington among others.

The 30 minute show runs every other Tuesday. The focus of the season’s final show of the season is Supporting Gay Youth, which will feature Mark Patro of PFLAG Baltimore County and Molly McGrath Tierney, director of the Baltimore City Department of Social Services, on June 29.  The show will break for July and August and will return in September.

Individuals interested in proposing future discussion topics or guests are encouraged to contact the RGroup. Podcasts of previous shows are available by visiting RGroup.org and clicking Radio, or at BlogTalkRadio.com/MarylandGayRadio.

Intersections: Sexuality, Gender, Race and Ethnicity

The Women and Gender Studies Program of Morgan State University has partnered with BMore Proud to present their first academic symposium on sexuality, gender, race and ethnicity.

The annual ARGY Awards recognize the best of Gay Maryland, and the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Baltimore (GLCCB) is nominated for three of those awards. Those nominations fall under the categories of GLBT Friendly Business or Non-Profit of the Year, GLBT Newspaper/Publication of the Year (for Baltimore Gay Life) and GLBT Event of the Year (for Baltimore Gay Pride).

It’s that time of the year when Hollywood’s A-List stars pour their surplus income into the willing hands of designers and exclusive jewelers to dazzle the estimated 45 million world-wide viewers of the 83rd Annual Academy Awards Show, commonly referred to as the Oscars.

Equality Maryland and Pride in Faith are excited to hold the annual prayer breakfast on January 27. The focus of the event is to unite local faith-based leaders in a rare gathering to galvanize renewed support and affirmation from the faith community for anti-discrimination protections, marriage for same sex couples, and equality for LGBT people. The day will include a traditional prayer breakfast followed by a set of lobby meetings with faith leaders and legislators.