Gender Rights Maryland is an American

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

and

advocacy Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...

organization serving

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

community. Gender Rights Maryland's mission is to "aid in the advancement, achievement and protection of the civil rights of transpeople through electoral involvement, grassroots organizing, coalition building and direct legislative advocacy." The organization's leadership includes Dana Beyer, Sharon Brackett, J. Darrell Carrington, Jonathan Shurberg, Mark McLaurin and Matthew Thorn. They have an advisory board which has included

Jennifer Finney Boylan Jennifer Finney Boylan (born June 22, 1958) is a bestselling author, transgender activist, professor at Barnard College, and a contributing opinion writer for the ''New York Times''. Early life and education Boylan was born in Valley Forge, Pen ...

Dan Massey Dan Massey (December 26, 1942 – January 28, 2013) was an American LGBT rights/sexual freedom activist, scientist, author, blogger, and fundraiser based in Washington, D.C. He was a co-founder and CEO of VenusPlusX. A graduate of Massachusetts ...

, Alison Gardner, David Fishback, Heath Goisovich, Catherine Hyde, Diego Sanchez, Mark Scurti, Melissa Sklarz, and

Lise Van Susteren Lise Van Susteren (born March 7, 1951) is an American psychiatrist, commentator, author and environmental activist. Van Susteren has founded several national organizations to raise public awareness of climate change and to advocate for environmen ...

Gender Rights Maryland Foundation

The organization's primary entity, Gender Rights Maryland, Inc., is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, but the organization also has a 501(c)(3) foundation, called the Gender Rights Maryland Foundation, Inc., with a separate board of directors. Senator Ben Cardin and Dana Beyer - March 2012

Senator Ben Cardin and Dana Beyer - March 2012

History

Gender Rights Maryland was founded in May 2011 with an original goal of passing a comprehensive gender identity anti‐discrimination bill in Maryland by the end of the 2012 legislative session. Its founding board members included Sharon Brackett, Dana Beyer M.D., Donna Cartwright, Caroline Temmermand, and Alex Hickcox. By the beginning of the 2013 session, the organization which provided the effort to pass comprehensive gender identity anti-discrimination legislation in Maryland via Senate Bill 449, called the ''Fairness for All Marylanders Act of 2013,'' was the

Maryland Coalition for Trans Equality The Maryland Coalition for Trans Equality (MCTE) is a coalition of organizations and individuals working to advance equal rights for transgender, transsexual, and gender non-conforming people in Maryland. Their stated goal is to achieve this "th ...

. Gender Rights Maryland made a decision to leave the Maryland Coalition for Trans Equality in January 2012. The legislation, Senate Bill 212, introduced on their behalf in 2012, by Senator Jamie Raskin, died in committee without a vote. Additionally before the 2013

Maryland General Assembly The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland that convenes within the State House in Annapolis. It is a bicameral body: the upper chamber, the Maryland Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamb ...

legislative session, Gender Rights Maryland chose to continue an alliance with two of the six local

PFLAG PFLAG is the United States' first and largest organization uniting parents, families, and allies with people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+). PFLAG National is the national organization, which provides support to ...

chapters in Maryland. In a press release dated November 20, 2012, GRMD executive director Dana Beyer is quoted "We welcome all allies, including those allies who worked for these causes in previous years, to join our alliance in moving these issues forward". Since the departure of GRMD, the

has built a coalition of over 40 organizations.

References

External links

Gender Rights Maryland website

Gender Rights Maryland entry at GuideStar

Gender Rights Maryland Foundation

History

References

External links

See also