Lydie.cc — LGBT & Maryland
Let's face it. The current president, aka Tangerine Hitler, Orange Mussolini....is a Nazi. His policies erase minorities, especially trans folks, and this is genocide. Where you live in the US can be life or death just because of who you are.
Let me introduce Maryland, USA. A beautiful state on the East Coast, with LGBT protective policies in place to shield us from hate laws.
According to Erin Reed, an LGBT activist whom you should follow (Erin In The Morning), Maryland has plenty of protections in place. This is her state risk map as of 02-08-2025, and Maryland is the darkest blue for safety:
And this is why Maryland is an excellent place to live for LGBT folks:
- Discrimination Protections: Maryland law prohibits discrimination based on both sexual orientation (since 2001) and gender identity (since 2014). This applies to areas like employment, housing, and public accommodations.
- Marriage Equality: Same-sex marriage has been legal in Maryland since 2013.
- Adoption Rights: Same-sex couples are permitted to adopt children in Maryland.
- Conversion Therapy Ban: Conversion therapy on minors is illegal in Maryland.
- Gender Identity on Birth Certificates: Transgender individuals can change the gender marker on their birth certificates without needing surgery.
- "X" Gender Marker on IDs: Maryland offers an "X" gender marker option on driver's licenses and other state-issued identification documents.
- Hate Crime Protection: Maryland's hate crime law includes sexual orientation and gender identity as protected categories, meaning crimes motivated by bias against these groups carry harsher penalties.
- Bathroom Access: Court rulings and local ordinances protect the right of transgender individuals to use restrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity.
- LGBTQ Inclusive Policies in Public Schools: Maryland public schools are required to have policies that are inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity, plus safety outcomes for LGBT students.
- Honorable Discharges for LGBT Veterans: Maryland automatically restores "honorable discharges" to LGBT military veterans who were residents of Maryland at the time of their discharge.
- Fertility Treatments: Health insurers in Maryland are required to offer fertility treatments as a benefit, regardless of a person's sexual orientation.
- Surrogacy: Surrogacy arrangements are legal and recognized in Maryland.
- Medicaid Coverage for Gender-Affirming Care: Sexual reassignment surgery is covered by Medicaid in Maryland.
Maryland is not the cheapest place to live, but the western counties are much more affordable than central Maryland. Frederick County / Frederick City are top LGBT safe spaces.
Learn more about Maryland:
- https://www.maryland.gov/Pages/default.aspx
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBTQ_rights_in_Maryland
- https://www.equaldex.com/region/maryland-united-states
- https://www.hrc.org/in-your-area/maryland
- https://www.aclu-md.org/en/issues/civil-rights/lgbtq-rights
- https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/profile_state/MD
- https://goci.maryland.gov/lgbtq/
Other valuable resources:
- Live in a Nazi state? Get a heli ride to healthcare: https://www.elevatedaccess.org/
- Need to get out of the US?: https://transworldexpress.org/wiki/Main_Page
- Need to get out of the US?: https://www.rainbowrailroad.org/
Ideas for resisting fascism:
- Data hoarding and sharing (Start Here!)
- Cleverly placed stickers in public
- Call your senators and reps
- Go to town halls
- VOTE!
- Lie to them (you DID replace diversity, equity & inclusion in that document, right?)
- Hack / DDoS them (thank you Ukraine, keep it up)
- Spam snitch forms (super important for LGBT safety)
- Protesting with signs (sadly, not the best use of your time)