Transgender affirmations: Views from front-line reform advocates

On Midday today, guest host Ashley Sterner spotlights some of the legislative, health policy and spiritual developments in transgender rights here in Maryland. Democratic leaders in the General Assembly have made strengthening abortion rights in Maryland a top priority.This session, they’re expected to approve a bill that would create a state constitutional right to abortion access. If the amendment passes, voters will decide its fate next fall. This comes as abortion rights are being restricted in many states, following last year’s Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe V. Wade.Governor Wes Moore wants Maryland to stand against this tide and be what he calls a “safe haven for abortion rights.” Abortion rights aren’t the only rights under assault in many parts of the country. Many Republican-led state legislatures are also working to strip rights from transgender people. More than 150 anti-trans bills have been proposed around the country, many focused on younger trans people… but not exclusively. There are bills restricting and criminalizing crucial medical care for youths and adults, bills preventing trans people from performing in public, and more. Some Maryland leaders are working to shore up the rights – and protect the dignity – of trans people here in our state. And this hour, we’ll be taking a look at two pieces of legislation that would do just that.A We’ll start with the Trans Health Equity Act, which got its first hearing before a House of Delegates committee on Tuesday. Ashley's first guests are Democratic Del. Anne Kaiser (District 14 -Montgomery Co.), who is sponsoring the bill in the Maryland House, and Dr. Helene Hedian, director of Clinical Education at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s Center for Transgender Health, and Assistant Vice Chair for LGBTQ+ Equity and Education. Studies show that transgender people suffer significantly higher rates of violence while incarcerated than the rest of the prison population.And members of the General Assembly are looking to address that, with a bill called the Transgender Respect, Agency, and Dignity Act. It’ll get its first hearing in the House Judiciary Committee next week. Earlier, Ashley spoke with the co-conveners of the Trans Rights Advocacy Coalition: Jamie Grace Alexander, a Black trans woman activist and multidisciplinary artist who also serves as policy coordinator for Free State Justice, and the community director of the Baltimore Trans Alliance; and Margo Quinlan, a trans woman activist and the director of Youth & Older Adult Policy at the Mental Health Association of Maryland. In today's final segment, Ashley speaks with Pastor Emily Scott. Pastor Emily currently serves two congregations who have formed a unique partnership: St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church and Dreams and Visions, in Baltimore. These two congregations, one old, one new, are sharing a building, pastoral staff, and a commitment to their neighborhood and the LGBTQ+ community. Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.