By AMY CAVANAUGH, Washington Blade
Nov 12 2008, 9:50 AM |
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Equality Maryland announced this week that Kate Runyon, the interim head of Michigan’s Triangle Foundation, would succeed Dan Furmansky as the organization’s executive director.
Runyon said she wants to achieve marriage equality in Maryland by 2011 or 2012. She plans for Equality Maryland to work more closely with “rural communities, people of faith groups, and people of color as well.”
Among the first challenges Runyon will face is improving the organization’s working relationship with Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley.
During a speech Nov. 2 at the annual Equality Maryland brunch, Furmansky said the state needs “a governor who doesn’t make empty statements and who will take a stand, because civil rights for LGBT people are worth standing up for.”
Furmansky also called for “equal pay for equal work for all Maryland state employees.”
Furmansky said that he has not sat down with O’Malley since before the state’s 2008 legislative session. More recent requests for a meeting have not yielded any results.
“His signature on the two domestic partner bills that were passed this year was crucial,” Furmansky said, “but his rhetoric after the court ruling [in September 2007 that upheld the state’s ban on same-sex marriage] deeply wounded thousands of LGBT Marylanders and his rhetoric since has been wishy-washy depending on which publication he is speaking to.
“In one publication, his spokesperson might say that he opposed marriage for same-sex couples but that he supports civil unions. Then in the Blade, he might indicate that he would perhaps sign a marriage bill if it reached his desk. If he’s going to take a position he needs to take that position and own it.”
But even on issues beyond marriage — such as full benefits for the domestic partners of gay state employees — O’Malley has not acted.
Sen. Rich Madaleno (D-Montgomery County) said the governor could extend benefits by executive order, though a series of regulatory changes would need to be made at the same time.
“There’s no legal prohibition against him doing it,” said Madaleno, who is gay. “Right now, the administration is in the process of bargaining with the state employee groups, so my understanding is it is one of the issues on the table, and it is possible that this could come out of those negotiations.”
Madaleno said he’s “hopeful that the governor and the people around him have recognized how important these benefits are and will try to find a way to make this happen.”
Rick Abbruzzese, an O’Malley spokesperson, said that extending domestic partner benefits for government employees is something O’Malley did while mayor of Baltimore.
“It’s something that’s being looked at the state level, but no final decisions have been made,” Abbruzzese said. “We are continuing to balance the state budget deficit and have been working to address that. I can’t give a solid timeline, but I can say it is something being considered at the state level.”
Furmansky said he also was hurt to see O’Malley listed as a co-sponsor for a fundraiser for Sen. Anthony Muse (D-Prince George’s County), who has cast key votes against gay issues in the Senate’s powerful Judiciary Proceedings Committee.
“Every Annapolis insider will tell you that it is protocol for a list of sponsors to indicate the support of fellow members of the Democratic caucus,” Furmansky said. “But personally it stung to see any legislator who stood in the way of progress on LGBT civil rights issues receiving unanimous support from Democratic Party leadership.”
‘I’ll work for broader equality’
Runyon, 34, said she learned about the position through the Equality Federation, a national alliance of gay advocacy organizations.
“I had knowledge of Equality Maryland through the Equality Federation, and I saw that some of the skills that Equality Maryland needed to move forward with marriage equality are skills that I’ve been well versed in,” she told the Blade.
“And as I got to know more about Equality Maryland and their needs, it was easy to see how even though I’m not from Maryland, the skill sets and wisdom I’ve learned in Michigan will be helpful in supporting Maryland and moving forward on equality.”
Runyon has worked in gay advocacy for years. At the Triangle Foundation, Runyon joined as interim executive director in October 2007, leading the statewide gay rights organization after the departure of their founding executive director.
She also served two years as the gay issues program director for the American Friends Service Committee.
“I first started working specifically within the diversity field as a diversity consultant for the National Conference for Community & Justice, and while there I noticed myself being aware of my own sexuality,” she said.
“I was looking at issues dealing with diversity and saw that these issues were ripe within the LGBT community since LGBT folks come from all different socioeconomic, political, religious, geographic backgrounds. And I realized the amount of inequality that existed in the U.S.”
Runyon said that her own coming out story affected her work path, and that coming out was easy for her because her parents are “very progressive.”
“The first thing they said to me was to be careful,” she said. “And that comes from the knowledge of how recent the Holocaust was, and the awareness of LGBT people not only not having equality but being completely shunned.
“So I heeded the advice of my wise parents and said, ‘I’ll be smart, but I’ll be loud and clear, and I’ll work for broader equality.’ At the core, I want to make sure that we are all safe and don’t go backwards ever again.”
Runyon, who was born and raised in Michigan, attended college at Wittenberg University in Ohio. She will move to Baltimore with Monique Ellison, her partner of a few months, who is an Episcopal priest.
“We are thrilled to have found someone of Kate Runyon’s caliber and experience,” said Equality Maryland Board President Scott Davenport in a statement.
“Kate brings commitment, respect, community awareness, bridge building, communication, political savvy and advocacy to her life’s work as an activist. Her six years of executive experience with LGBT organizations, ability to build quick rapport with community, and knowledge of the political and social landscapes in which LGBT Americans work makes her an ideal leader for us. She will no doubt hit the ground running.”
Furmansky, who announced his resignation earlier this year, will serve through the end of December. Runyon will begin on Dec. 8, allowing for an overlapping transition period.
Furmansky said Runyon’s appointment as executive director represents “a great opportunity for someone to start fresh in their outreach to the
governor."
“I believe that the right blend of patience, education and advocacy will be needed to move our leadership forward,” he said.
After he departs Equality Maryland, Furmansky said he will remain in Maryland and will be “consulting for progressive advocacy groups, writing
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