Jan 30, 2009  |  By: Amy Cavanaugh  | COMMENTS     

Equality Maryland, the state’s largest gay civil rights group, was among the many peaceful protest groups that were once designated a “security threat” by state officials.

The Washington Post reported Jan. 23 that the Maryland State Police’s Homeland Security & Intelligence Division gave Equality Maryland the designation and considered the organization a terrorist group. The designation has since been rescinded.

Dan Furmansky, former Equality Maryland executive director and leader of the organization when the designation was made, said the situation “feels like a throwback to the days when LGBT people were truly silenced by government.”

At least a dozen groups — including those opposed to war and the death penalty — were under surveillance in 2005 and 2006. Files were kept on Equality Maryland’s plans to hold rallies outside the State House in Annapolis in favor of legislation that would reverse the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. The files will be purged.

At a news conference Jan. 22, state lawmakers announced plans for legislation to prevent the Maryland State Police from future spying.

According to the Associated Press, Maryland State Sen. Jamie Raskin, a lead sponsor of the legislation and Equality Maryland ally, said the bill would prevent police from keeping files on citizens, except when part of a criminal investigation. Also, police would be required to have reasonable suspicion of criminal activities before initiating surveillance.

Furmansky noted that Equality Maryland plans to support Raskin’s proposal.

“I’m glad that Equality Maryland will be advocating for the Freedom of Association & Assembly Protection Act of 2009 and pursuing legal action with the [American Civil Liberties Union] to ascertain the full extent of the spying,” he said.

Vic Basile, a former Human Rights Campaign executive director who lives in Baltimore, called the spying “a badge of honor,” and added that “you would think that in this day and age we would be well beyond that kind of J. Edgar Hoover kind of behavior.”

In a statement, Kate Runyon, the current executive director of Equality Maryland, urged lawmakers to pass the Freedom of Association & Assembly Protection Act of 2009.

“I am offended and shocked that any of us associated with a reputable human rights organization would be treated by our state police as potentially criminal and dangerous with absolutely no just cause,” she said. “Anyone should be free to advocate for anti-discrimination laws, equal marriage rights, domestic partner benefits, and other human rights measures without fear of government surveillance or fear that we will end up in databases.”