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JOSHUA LYNSEN
Friday, August 18, 2006
Marylanders will see a record number of openly gay, lesbian and transgender candidates on primary ballots Sept. 12.
Among the candidates seeking state office are three gay men, four lesbians and one transgender woman. Political observers said the number of gays seeking office is unprecedented in Maryland.
“I think it’s remarkable to see so many intelligent, overqualified and openly LGBT individuals seeking to contribute to our greater community as elected officials,” said Dan Furmansky, executive director of Equality Maryland.
Gay candidates include Rich Madaleno, a delegate who is giving up his seat to run for the District 18 (Montgomery County) Senate seat, plus House incumbents Anne Kaiser in District 14 (Montgomery County) and Maggie McIntosh in District 43 (Baltimore).
Openly gay challengers include pastor and radio commentator Anthony McCarthy in District 44 (Baltimore), former Takoma Park Councilmember Heather Mizeur in District 20 (Montgomery County), restaurateur Tim Quinn in District 37 (Dorchester and Wicomico counties), and business professional Mary Washington in District 43 (Baltimore).
Dana Beyer, a retired doctor who is transgender, is running for Madaleno’s open House seat in District 18 (Montgomery County).
John Willis, a director of the University of Baltimore’s Public School of Affairs, said all candidates are strong contenders for their seats.
“All of those people have been involved,” he said. “They all have worked — whether it’s been in government or doing political things — they’ve been active in their communities.”
Madaleno, who faces no primary opposition, is expected to win the Senate seat. Kaiser and McIntosh are also heavily favored to retain their House seats.
Willis said the outcomes of other races are difficult to predict because multiple candidates are vying for multiple seats. No recent polls were available for those races.
Rick Bowers, chair of Defend Maryland Marriage and a Republican House candidate in District 13 (Howard County), said the record number of gay candidates was understandable.
“I’m not surprised,” Bowers said, “because the issues the Maryland legislature faces in the upcoming session largely revolve around concerns of their community.”
But he said that voters might perceive openly gay candidates as interested only in gay issues.
To combat that perception, Furmansky said candidates are running versatile campaigns that highlight education, health care and economic issues, among others.
“I don’t believe any one of these candidates is running because they want to focus on only LGBT issues,” he said. “They’re running because they’ve committed themselves to community service, and are hoping to make the state a better place.”
But the candidates said being known as a gay, lesbian or transgender candidate has its perks.
“People know we’ve kind of been battle tested in life,” Beyer said. “Once you’ve done a gender transition, you really don’t fear Republican hostility.”
All of the gay candidates for office are Democrats.
Substance, not sex
Candidates said their experiences show that Marylanders are more interested in substance than sex.
“Nobody talks about sex, or sexuality, or gender,” Beyer said. “This isn’t what voters are concerned about.”
McCarthy agreed. He was cautioned that campaigning in a predominantly black district as an openly gay man would be “a huge issue,” but found that not to be true.
“Speaking frankly,” he said, “in my district, it is not an advantage, [but] it’s been proven over the course of this campaign not to be a disadvantage.”
Madaleno, who in 2002 was the first openly gay Marylander to seek state office, said he’s heartened that gay candidates can be open on the campaign trail.
“The nice part is to see so many people who are running as openly gay people, as opposed to waiting until after an election to declare publicly their orientation,” he said. “I think it’s important to be honest with the voters, and with yourself.”
Madaleno said his sexual orientation, which drew much attention in 2002, is so rarely discussed now that some gay voters in his district don’t know they’re represented by a gay man.
“I’m surprised the number of gay people whose doors I knock on,” Madaleno said, “I introduce myself as ‘The gay guy who’s been representing you for the last four years,’ and they’re like, ‘Really? Wow.’”
Gay candidate assaulted
Despite increased acceptance, some candidates said being openly gay is problematic.
McCarthy said he’s received hate mail during the course of his campaign, and was recently attacked after leaving a community association meeting.
“I was approached by a gentleman who said he would never support a fag for the House of Delegates and he punched me in the face,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy said he was shocked by the attack, which he said occurred in late June, but shook it off and continued his campaign.
“All of this really just made me more determined to be open, honest and truthful about who I am,” he said.
McCarthy said he didn’t press charges “because I did not want it to become a story or an issue.”
“I thought it was isolated,” he said, “and certainly not indicative of the wonderful response we’ve had while we’ve been campaigning.”
Other problems are more political. Candidates said some voters mistakenly believe that gay candidates only care about gay rights issues.
“I’m an out candidate, but that doesn’t define who I am,” Mizeur said. “A lot of us are driven by a whole host of priorities. None of us want to be labeled as the gay candidate who only cares about gay issues.”
But at the same time, Madaleno said, candidates shouldn’t ignore their sexual orientation.
“Just like the chamber is benefited by having people of different ethnic backgrounds, religious backgrounds, and economic backgrounds,” he said, “there’s a benefit to having our background and our voices represented.”
‘A matter of progress’
Candidates said their ability to discuss issues — rather than combat prejudice — is encouraging.
“I think it’s just a matter of progress,” said Beyer, who could become the first transgender person elected to any state legislature.
“If you look back to the first women, or African-American candidates, the first person was a big deal, the second person was not such a big deal — and before you knew it, it was no big deal for the voters.”
Quinn agreed. He said voters understand that being gay is no better and no worse than being straight.
“It’s time that people recognized it doesn’t matter,” he said. “My gayness isn’t an issue.”
McCarthy said Marylanders are too progressive to let a candidate’s sexual orientation be a roadblock to success.
“Maryland has a history of being very progressive on social issues,” he said. “That’s not to say there isn’t a great deal of work that needs to be done, but I think that Maryland is the kind of state where gay and lesbian, bisexual and transgender leadership would naturally come to the forefront.”
And he said voters are recognizing the importance of sending more gay voices to Annapolis.
“It’s become apparent that we have to be in the room and at the table,” he said. “That includes being able to stand up on the floor of the legislature and be a flesh and blood witness of what it’s like to live in this state, work in this state, raise families in this state — and be openly gay.”
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