Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

Equality Maryland Faces Shutdown

Shortly after the failure of Maryland's marriage equality bill and a gender identity measure, Equality Maryland is facing shutdown over financial problems. Chris Geidner reports at Metro Weekly:

Equality Maryland could shut down operations at the end of June if it does not collect $20,000 to $25,000 in donations to cover operating expenses, according to members of the statewide LGBT-advocacy organization's board. Those expenses include rent for its Baltimore office headquarters, as well as salary for current staff. Equality Maryland has two full-time staff members, while interim Executive Director Lynne Bowman earns roughly $7,000 per month, employed as an independent contractor. Charles Butler, board president of Equality Maryland Inc., the lobbying arm of Equality Maryland, says the organization had ''gotten away from engaging the community as far as fundraising goes to cover operating costs'' under past leadership.

Yesterday Equality Maryland issued a plea for donations.

MARYLAND: Hate Crimes Charges For Attackers Of Transgender Woman

Hate crimes charges have been filed against the two Maryland teens arrested last month for the brutal attack on a transgender woman at a Baltimore McDonald's.

The indictment returned Monday by a Baltimore County grand jury charges Teonna Brown with assault and a hate crime in the attack on Chrissy Lee Polis last month. She is also charged with assaulting a customer and a McDonald's employee who tried to intervene. A 14-year-old girl is facing the same charges in juvenile court. A videotape of the April 18 beating posted online shows a woman being attacked repeatedly while an employee and customer try to stop them. The woman then appears to have a seizure.

The day after the attack, McDonald's fired the employee who filmed the incident with his cell phone rather than attempting to intervene.

MARYLAND: Hundreds Attend Rally Against Anti-Transgender Violence

Last night hundreds of protesters crowded the street outside a Baltimore McDonald's in a rally against anti-transgender violence. The event was spawned by last week's brutal attack against Chrissy Lee Polis, a local transwoman who was beaten by two female McDonald's patrons for daring to use the ladies room. Kevin Naff reports at Washington Blade:

“The turnout tonight is wonderful, I’m so happy,” said Renee Carr, Polis’s mother, who attended the rally with family and neighbors, but without her daughter. “I didn’t think that McDonald’s was a dangerous place, all she wanted to do was eat and use the bathroom.” In an interview with the Blade after the rally, Carr said she has always known her daughter was transgender and that she has supported her “100 percent.” “I even carried her pocketbook on the way to the bus stop as a kid,” Carr said, adding that Polis is doing better but was unable to attend. Others at the rally said Polis was afraid to leave her house. “I want to thank everyone personally who came tonight,” said Kathleen Hand, Polis’s grandmother, who also attended the rally, which was held in the McDonald’s parking lot in Rosedale, Md., where the beating took place. “Chrissy is doing great.”

MARYLAND: Hate Crimes Vigil To Be Held Tonight At Baltimore McDonald's

Via Metro Weekly:

A candlelight vigil is scheduled to take place at the McDonald's at 6315 Kenwood Ave. in Rosedale, Baltimore, at 7 p.m. on Monday night where on April 18 a transgender woman was physically attacked, before appearing to have a seizure, in an incident recorded on a portable phone by a McDonald's employee.

The victim says she plans to sue McDonald's. Hate crime charges have not yet been filed against her attackers.

MARYLAND: Transgender Victim In McDonald's Attack Speaks Out

In an interview with the Baltimore Sun, Chrissy Lee Polis, 22, speaks out about the attack on her at a Baltimore McDonald's.

BALTIMORE: McDonald's Fires Staffer Who Filmed Attack On Transgender Woman

McDonald's has fired the staffer who laughed and offered no assistance as he filmed two patrons viciously beating a transgender woman at a Baltimore franchise location. Action is pending against other restaurant staffers.

"My first and foremost concern is with the victim," franchise owner Mitchell McPherson said in a statement, adding that action might be taken against other restaurant workers as well. "I'm as shocked and disturbed by this assault as anyone would be. The behavior displayed in the video is unfathomable and reprehensible." The video of a beating the Rosedale restaurant went viral Friday, garnering hundreds of thousands of views on websites and prompting the fast-food giant to issue a statement condemning the incident. The video shows two women — one of them a 14-year-old girl — repeatedly kicking and punching the 22-year-old victim in the head, as an employee and a patron try to intervene. Others can be heard laughing, and men are seen standing idly by. Toward the end of the video, one of the suspects lands a punishing blow to the victim's head, and she appears to have a seizure. A man's voice tells the women to run because police are coming.

The two attackers, ages 14 and 18, have been arrested. The younger may be charged as a juvenile. Police have not yet revealed whether hate crimes charges will be applied.

MARYLAND: Trans Woman Brutally Attacked At Baltimore McDonald's

Baltimore police have made two arrests in the brutal attack on a transgender woman at a McDonald's, where staffers filmed the assault with their cell phones, then urged the assailants to flee before police arrived. The only person that appears to come to the victim's aid is an elderly female customer, although the restaurant's manager did attempt to pull the attackers away at one point. McDonald's has released the below statement.

"We are shocked by the video from a Baltimore franchised restaurant showing an assault. This incident is unacceptable, disturbing and troubling. McDonald’s strives to be a safe, welcoming environment for everyone who visits. Nothing is more important to us than the safety of customers and employees in our restaurants. We are working with the franchisee and the local authorities to investigate this matter."

The Smoking Gun has more, including a tweet from a witness claiming that the attack began because the victim was in the ladies room.


UPDATE: Equality Maryland reacts via press release.

"A member of our community was recently the victim of senseless violence. Equality Maryland is saddened that in this day and age, bigotry and discrimination against transgender individuals continue, especially in our own backyard. No person ever deserves to be a victim of violence regardless of their gender identity or presentation. We encourage the State's Attorney General to investigate this as a gate crime based on gender identity. We are encouraged that McDonald's is working with local police to investigate this incident, and hope that the company will follow-up with appropriate disciplinary action against any employees involved. We remain committed to advancing gender identity protections for the entire state of Maryland and will continue to work with local organizations and legislators to advance these protections.:

Quote Of The Day - Brian Camenker

"Early on, a pro-family group made an effort to pull all the Maryland groups into a 'coalition' under a unified leadership. They would dictate strategy. They also insisted that the pro-marriage message be tightly controlled, that it be 'moderate' and not anti-gay or otherwise 'fringe' sounding, be calm and not too emotional, and that they decide who testifies at the marriage hearings, and what the testimony would be.

"That's what happened in Massachusetts in 2005-2007 and it led to a huge failure. On our MassResistance conference calls we advised Maryland activists to ignore that -- and act independently with their own messages, and be as emotional and outspoken as they feel appropriate. Luckily eventually everyone did that and the coalition effectively fell apart. It was the best thing that could have happened." -Brian Camenker of the SPLC-certified hate group MassResistance, saying that marriage failed in Maryland because his side ignored moderate pleas that they not sound so rabidly anti-gay.

Read Camenker's Top Ten Reasons We Won.

Perkins: Gay Marriage Is Political Suicide

"On Friday, one of the most liberal states in America killed a bill to legalize same-sex 'marriage.' That doesn't seem to register with a small group from Hollywood, who can't see past their agenda to the political reality: that counterfeit marriage is a losing issue. Some celebrities are still pushing the President to publicly endorse same-sex 'marriage,' despite some bruising losses on the state front. 'Say, 'I do,' Mr. President,' they wrote in a letter. The actors praised his decision to abandon the federal marriage law in court, and said that move calls for 'clarity' on the marriage question.

"Of course, it's easy to understand the confusion. This White House has done everything it can to promote homosexual 'marriage'--short of announcing its support. And the only reason the President hesitates to do so is the same reason the cosponsors of Maryland's bill walked away. Endorsing same-sex 'marriage' is political suicide. It puts you on the wrong side of an overwhelming number of American voters." - Family Research Council head Tony Perkins, via press release.

The Red-Caped Loons Of Maryland

The red-caped Catholic loons of the Society for the Defense of Tradition have posted video of last week's demonstration in Maryland.

Bishop Harry Jackson: The Black Church Stopped Gay Marriage In Maryland

Jackson also vows to vote out of office anybody that voted in favor of same-sex marriage, a vote that never actually occurred in the Maryland House as the bill was sent back to committee when it became clear that it wouldn't pass.

Matt Baume: This Week In Prop 8

Quote Of The Day - Tony Perkins

"Never underestimate the power of a few committed Christians! Just a few hours ago, the Maryland same-sex 'marriage' bill went from the verge of passage to crushing defeat. In an overwhelmingly Democratic Assembly, this is victory of gigantic proportions. Once again, it signals that even the most liberal states are not on board with the agenda to redefine marriage. FRC's Peter Sprigg, who testified against the bill in both chambers, was instrumental in pointing out the harms of same-sex 'marriage.' As he said, the confidence of the homosexual community is clearly misplaced.

"The opposition to this legislation, even from one its former cosponsors, shows the groundswell of resistance that exists in Maryland and beyond. This is in no small part due to the effort of FRC allies, Bishop Harry Jackson and Derek McCoy, who took such a courageous stand. Our thanks go out to everyone in the state who worked against all odds to protect the sanctity of marriage. It does make a difference!" - Family Research Council head Tony Perkins, via press release.

Maryland TV On Marriage Battle

Maryland Marriage Failure Reactions

Equality Maryland

While we are disappointed the House did not vote to pass marriage equality today, we are confident we will win in the future. With so much at stake today for thousands of Maryland families, we are thankful that our legislative allies have taken such care with this vote. It is best to delay this historic vote until we are absolutely sure we have the votes to win. We look forward to working strategically with our amazing allies in the legislature, and our supporters across the state, to continue to build support for, and win, marriage equality in the Free State. We are extraordinarily grateful to the many leaders who have stood by us throughout this journey. We wouldn't have made it this far without their tireless dedication.

Lambda Legal

On behalf of many same-sex couples and their families who seek equality, we are disappointed by the Maryland House’s failure today to finish the job started by the Senate last month. But this is not the end. We commend the state Senators who passed the Civil Marriage Protection Act and the House Delegates who have staunchly supported marriage equality. We urge the House to soon bring the bill to a successful vote and give critical protections to Maryland's thousands of same-sex couples and their families. We applaud Equality Maryland for its tireless and ongoing work for Maryland families. Thousands of same-sex couples in Maryland are still not allowed to get married in their home state and must travel out of state to better protect their families.

MARYLAND: Marriage Bill Dies In House

It wasn't going to pass so it was "sent back to committee."

The Maryland House of Delegates has voted to effectively kill for this year a bill that would have allowed same-sex marriage in Maryland. The House approved on voice vote a motion to send the bill back to the Judiciary Committee, an acknowledgment by supporters that it did not have sufficient votes to pass on the floor. The bill cleared the Senate two weeks ago on a 25-to-21 vote, and Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) had pledged to sign it.

Very disappointing. NOM is doing backflips and taunting on Twitter.

LISTEN: Final Maryland Marriage Debate

Audio only is here. Things are about to start.

Today's Family Research Council Prayer

The Family Research Council is asking its supporters to pray against equality in Maryland.

Pray that the bill to legalize same-sex "marriage" will be defeated in the Maryland House. May Maryland be the Gettysburg in the war to overthrown marriage, and be followed by judicial decisions, legislative and citizen action that uphold DOMA, California's Marriage Amendment (Proposition 8) and protect traditional, Biblical marriage in every state (Gen 1:27-28; 13:13; 18:20-21; 19:12-13, 24-25; Mt 19:4-6; 1 Cor 6:9-11; Heb 13:4; Jude 7).

They add a prayer PS: "Now is the time, amid the longest recession since the great depression and with public sentiment on our side, to defund everything immoral or morally questionable. Such will happen as we pray. Thank you for praying!"

A Note From Equality Maryland