Feb 02, 2007  |  By: JOSHUA LYNSEN  | COMMENTS     

Hundreds of gay Marylanders and their allies are expected to convene in Annapolis later this month to demand new moves toward equality.

Equality Maryland, the state’s largest gay civil rights group, will hold its annual rally and lobby day at the Maryland Statehouse on Monday, Feb. 12. An estimated 500 people are expected to participate.

“The purpose of the day is democracy is action,” said Equality Maryland Executive Director Dan Furmansky.

“It’s empowering people to have a relationship with those who represent them and their interests. So few people take advantage of opportunities like this, but if every member of the LGBT community and our allies did, we would be the Netherlands with our laws.”

This year’s event will place special emphasis on stopping transgender discrimination and a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. Both issues are expected to emerge during the current General Assembly session.

Furmansky said it’s important for gay Marylanders to take this early opportunity to meet with their delegates and senators.

“Given that these are divisive issues, it’s important that we show that our half of the divide is a weighty half,” he said. “One can also say that simply helping legislators understand that there are real people in their neighborhood that are affected by the issues makes all the difference.”

John Willis, director of the University of Baltimore’s undergraduate Government and Public Policy program, agreed. He said such personal interactions are invaluable.

“It’s an opportunity to not just get across a particular issue that you may be concerned about that day, but it’s building a relationship,” he said. “Politics, like many other enterprises, is dependant upon relationship, so the personal relationship between a constituent and his or her representative is extraordinarily important.”

Lobbying follows rally

Furmansky said activities Feb. 12 will begin with a 5 p.m. rally in front of the Maryland Statehouse.

The event, which will be held in Lawyer’s Mall, includes speakers such as Fred Mason, president of the Maryland State and D.C. AFL-CIO. Speeches will reiterate the day’s focus on transgender and marriage equality.

After the rally concludes, Furmansky said attendants move inside to meet with their delegates and senators. Meetings begin at 6 p.m.

“They can last anywhere from five minutes to 20 minutes, or more, depending on the level of interest and comfort the legislator has with LGBT constituents,” he said. “And as far as the tone, it just varies from person to person. It depends on who they are, what their personality is and what they believe about gay rights issues.”

Furmansky said Equality Maryland’s district coordinators set the stage for constituents to make their appeals.

“We rely heavily on the district coordinators to take the lead in the meetings,” he said, “so that all most participants need to do is show up, be themselves and ask point blank for equality.”

Willis said although such personal requests are important, lobby day participants should end the day knowing they must keep in touch with their state representatives.

“There’s a difference between a firecracker and a power generator,” Willis said. “A symbolic, one-day-a-year thing doesn’t accomplish the task, but the day can be part of a larger effort.”

Trans activist joins Md. fight

Among those who are part of that larger effort is Donna Cartwright, Equality Maryland’s new transgender outreach consultant.

Cartwright, who helped pass a statewide transgender non-discrimination law in New Jersey last year, said she’ll join the crowd Feb. 12 to drum up support for a similar initiative in Maryland. That bill was expected to be introduced late this week; details were not available by press time. The New Jersey law bars discrimination based on gender identity and expression in employment, housing and public contracts.

“We’re making it a top legislative priority,” said Cartwright, who is transgender. “It’s a matter of basic fairness. Discrimination against anyone is wrong, and transgender people should be covered.”