For more than a decade, state lawmakers passed laws to protect and uplift Maryland’s LGBTQ+ community – from marriage equality for same-sex couples to boosting health care access for transgender individuals. The second Trump administration is likely to put those protections to the test.
President Donald Trump (R) has signaled from day one of his administration that it was going to be an adversary to transgender people, signing an executive order on the first day of his second term that prohibited gender ideology in federal policy, defined sex according to biological factors at conception and rescinded 15 federal policies and guidelines on transgender equality.
In the days and weeks that followed, Trump signed orders banning transgender individuals from girl’s and women’s sports and from military service, prohibiting federal funding or support for gender-affirming care for youth, and more. Congress is also looking to prohibit federal dollars going towards transgender health care.
As they begin Pride month, a time when the LGBTQ+ community comes together to celebrate progress and reflect on setbacks for the gay and transgender community, some Maryland transgender advocates fear current state protections may not be enough to counter federal efforts.
“Maryland is in a better position than most,” said Ruth Carlock with Trans Rights Advocacy Coalition. “Now that we’re in the Trump administration, a lot of those things might not be as strong as we’d hope, and we might need more legislation in the future.
“One thing I’ve been saying a lot over the past six months,” Carlock said, “I’m feeling very proud to be a Marylander, while feeling less proud of being an American in this current state of politics.”
Lee Blinder, a nonbinary official who chairs the Maryland Commission on LGBTQIA+ Affairs in the Governor’s Office and works with advocacy group Trans Maryland, has mixed feelings about the state’s progress this year.
“We really are in an excellent place compared to so many of our sibling in other states like Florida and Texas,” they said. “However, we have not seen the kind of movement that we would want to see from Maryland that we’ve been able to accomplish previously.”
Blinder is particularly disappointed that the Birth Certificate Modernization Act, did not pass. The bill would have made it easier for transgender people to make changes to their birth certificates, among other measures, relieving administrative headaches that can occur when gender markers do not align on various documents. Transgender advocates have been pushing that bill for the last few years.
Blinder feels transgender people were not prioritized this past session, and publicly brought those concerns to Gov. Wes Moore (D) during an event at the State House recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility. Blinder criticized what they called the administration’s lack of support to protect the community amid federal measures to diminish the presence of transgender people in day-to-day life.
“We know who you, Governor Moore, can be for us, and I am here begging you to do it,” Blinder said, while standing next to Moore.
“It will not get easier to support trans people. It will not get easier to commit to this community, it will only get harder in the days that come,” Blinder said at the time.
They hold those concerns to this day.
“We’re facing a state of emergency for the trans community — the same message I had before on Trans Day of Visibility. That still applies,” Blinder said in a recent interview.
There were some successes for gay and transgender people this legislative session. In May, Moore signed House Bill 1045 into law, which tweaks the state’s shield laws on legally protected health care that prohibits physicians from turning over patient information regarding “sensitive health services.” In Maryland, that includes gender-affirming care as well as abortions.
Del. Kris Fair (D-Frederick), who chairs the Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus, noted some other wins for the LGBTQ+ community. House Bill 39 and Senate Bill 356 were signed into law, removing a criminal penalty for intentionally transferring HIV to another person, which advocates say was antiquated and discriminatory.
But Fair noted that the state budget was a major hurdle to progress across issues this session, as the state grappled with a $3 billion deficit, resulting in widespread program cuts and limited dollars available for new initiatives in general.
Del. Kris Fair (D-Frederick) said budget woes this session made it difficult for many bills to move, including some on transgender issues. (Photo by Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters).
“We had an overarching deficit budget that we were dealing with, that was unavoidable and sucked all of the oxygen out of the room,” Fair said. “Every conversation was buried under this question of the budget.”
Despite the slowed progress this session, Fair believes that Maryland is “light years ahead” of other states when it comes to LGBTQ+ protections.
“It is the incredible wisdom of the legislature over the last 13 years that has truly saved us, starting with the Maryland (Marriage) Equality vote in 2012 and moving forward from there,” he said.
During his term, Moore has approved a handful of bills creating transgender protections that advocates say will be crucial in the coming years.
One of those is the Trans Health Equity Act signed in 2023, which requires Maryland Medicaid to cover medically-necessary gender-affirming care.
Congress is debating whether to prohibit federal Medicaid dollars from funding gender-affirming care. If that prohibition becomes law, the state may have to backfill any federal matching dollars currently supporting gender-affirming care under Maryland Medicaid to align with the Trans Health Equity Act, if funds are available.
Advocates are also thankful that the state’s shield law for legally protected health care was expanded in 2024 to include gender-affirming care. The intent is to protect the medical information of persons who seek gender-affirming care in Maryland from being shared across state lines, and potentially into the hands of law enforcement in states that are more hostile to transgender people.
“The Moore-Miller Administration will continue to protect the civil rights and livelihoods of LGBTQIA+ Marylanders by working with the state legislature, local leaders, and community advocates to deliver results for this community uniquely targeted by the Trump Administration,” a Moore spokesperson said in a written statement.
Due to these and other policies, Maryland is largely recognized a “safe haven” for gay and transgender people. The Movement Advancement Project, which assesses states based on laws that protect or harm transgender residents, ranks Maryland as seventh in protections on gender identity, and sixth for LGBTQ+ protections overall.
“One thing I’ve been saying a lot over the past six months … I’m feeling very proud to be a Marylander, while feeling less proud of being an American in this current state of politics.” – Ruth Carlock, Trans Rights Advocacy Coalition
Blinder and Carlock say that Pride month is important, now more than ever, for building community supports to take care of one another even if state protections don’t stand up to anti-transgender federal policies.
“It’s so easy for the practical needs that are so urgent to take over and to overshadow the very real need for us to be able to find joy and to celebrate,” Blinder said. “Because it’s not possible to survive these kinds of attacks without experiencing joy and experiencing the community connections and bonds that we have with one another.”
Carlock said that some advocates have even been more active in the community since Trump took office.
“That’s been one of the nice things about the last few months is this sense of community that has slowly been – you know, it’s always there, but it’s nice seeing that expand in the face of danger,” she said. “But also recognizing that that positive turn is coming from an existential threat and big fear of legislation to come.”
by Danielle J. Brown, Maryland Matters
June 6, 2025
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