ANNAPOLIS, MD — During last evening’s LGBTQIA+ reception at Government House, Governor Wes Moore signed an executive order to protect gender affirming health care in Maryland, building on the administration’s dedication to safeguard the rights of LGBTQIA+ individuals. The order will protect those seeking, receiving, or providing gender affirming care in Maryland from attempts at legal punishment by other states.
“In the State of Maryland, nobody should have to justify their own humanity,” said Gov. Moore. “This order is focused on ensuring Maryland is a safe place for gender affirming care, especially as other states take misguided and hateful steps to make gender affirming care cause for legal retribution. In Maryland, we are going to lead on this issue.”
“In signing this executive order, this administration is saying to all LGBTQIA+ Marylanders: You deserve to be your authentic selves — during Pride month and every month,” said Lt. Gov. Miller. “You deserve to live safely, openly, and freely; and receive the gender affirming care you need.”
“We are so thrilled that this year, the Moore-Miller Administration is hosting the first Government House Pride reception in the history of the State of Maryland,” said First Lady Dawn Moore. “We are building a community where we elevate, celebrate, and activate. I want you to know that in this house, you aren’t just welcome, you are necessary.”
There are more than 94,000 transgender or nonbinary residents in Maryland. The order grants LGBTQIA+ individuals access to safe and medically necessary care. The order also commits to protecting access to gender-affirming care by ensuring that no one who lawfully provides, assists, seeks, or obtains such treatment should be subject to legal liability or professional sanction.
Maryland has long led in supporting the LGBTQIA+ community:
- In 2012, the State of Maryland became the first state in the nation to establish by vote of the state legislature that same sex couples are entitled to the same legal and civil benefits of marriage as heterosexual couples.
- In 2014, the State of Maryland prohibited discrimination based on gender identity and expression with regard to public accommodations, housing, and employment in the Fairness for All Marylanders Act of 2014.
- In 2018, the State of Maryland prohibited mental health or childcare practitioners from engaging in the harmful practice of conversion therapy with individuals who are minors, and barred the use of state funds for conducting or providing health coverage for conversion therapy, or providing a grant to any organization that conducts or provides insurance for conversation therapy.
- In 2021, the State of Maryland established the LGBTQ Affairs Commission in the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives. Renamed the LGBTQIA+ Affairs Commission in 2023 to reflect Marylanders who identify as intersex, asexual, agender, and additional identities, the commission is charged with assessing the challenges that the LGBTQIA+ community faces, collecting data across state agencies on the implementation of LGBTQIA+-inclusive policies, and assessing complaints alleging discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
- In 2022, the State of Maryland restored LGBTQIA+ veterans with a less-than-honorable discharge to a status of “honorably discharged” for the purpose of state benefits, rights, and privileges if they were solely discharged due to their sexual orientation or gender identity or based on a statement or consensual act of the individual being discharged related to the individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
- This year, the Maryland Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus was established within the Maryland General Assembly.
- On March 31, Governor Moore proudly proclaimed March 31 as International Transgender Day of Visibility in Maryland, being the first governor in Maryland history to formally commemorate the day. The proclamation celebrates the accomplishments of transgender Marylanders while continuing to raise awareness to achieve trans justice.
- On May 3, Governor Moore signed Senate Bill 460 and House Bill 283, The Trans Health Equity Act, which expands coverage for gender-affirming treatments for transgender Marylanders.
This is the one that COMRADE HOGAN supported. Proves that MD is a COMMUNIST STATE that is destroying the US CONSTITUTION and FEDERAL LAWS MD voters ask for this trash government and they see every week how they ar losing their CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS. Wished I could afford to leave this COMMUNIST STATE
So on one hand, the liberals wanted to not charge people in Maryland under age 25 with 1st degree murder because their brains weren’t developed enough to know what they are doing to make such a life altering decision, YET they will let a CHILD under 18 decide to cut off their genitalia, have double mastectomy or whatever it is that is done to “change” them into what they (at the time) think their sex should be, which is a permanent LIFE ALTERING decision…WTF
Protect them from what? Or does it really mean pay for their operations and health care forever?
What a horrible mistake Maryland has made with this pure jerk!
How about a bill for Veteran care? Moore is a globalist piece of crap. Maryland is going to suffer greater under his “leadership”. I haven’t seen anything that protects working people. Only higher taxes.
not my governor…and we thought Hogan was bad. leaving MD as fast as possible, but where to go to escape this WOKE crap?
Everyone that voted for this idiot should really be proud of themselves. He is just getter started doing stupid sh##. People in Maryland are really going to be screwed by this grinning p.o.s.
Second worse Maryland Governor the first being lying Hogan. When you vote you need to use the brain power God gave you. Then we have Jimmy Hoppa thanking Fake Jake for his time as mayor and saying he wished he becomes President someday-can’t fix stupid.