social issues

Watching 33 couples, gay and straight, tie the knot during last week's Grammys, I thought about how brazen the anti-gay forces are in publicly airing their biases and how this was an appropriate public response.

Transgender people and their advocates urged a panel of senators Tuesday to help make Maryland the 18th state to protect them from discrimination in housing, at work and in public places. Lawmakers have considered expanding anti-discrimination laws to include transgender people every year since 2007. But advocates say changing attitudes and a groundswell of high-profile support make 2014's debate different.

Revisionist history won't solve the problems of today

Don't limit limiting women's reproductive rights in the name of helping children

The chiefs of Anne Arundel's fire and police departments promised state lawmakers Friday that they're doing their best to increase diversity within their ranks.

Gender Rights Maryland Executive Director Dana Beyer announced Thursday her candidacy for the 18th district state Senate seat currently occupied by gay state Senator Rich Madaleno.

Maryland's legislature honors Darryl Hill, who integrated UMd. football.

In the first year of the Civil War, Maryland lawmakers voted unanimously for a constitutional amendment to bar the federal government from abolishing slavery. Now, more than 150 years later, some want the General Assembly to rescind that vote.

Transgender people want to be treated fairly and equally

President Barack Obama reiterated his commitment to LGBT equality around the globe in Tuesday night's State of the Union speech.

Maryland's insurance regulator issued a bulletin Tuesday clarifying that transgender Marylanders cannot be discriminated against by insurance companies based on their gender identities.

In a decision with wide-reaching implications, a federal appeals court ruled this week that potential jurors cannot be left off juries based on their sexual orientations.

"Orange is the New Black" actress Laverne Cox, who will speak in Towson in March, attended Elle's Women in Television celebration with little issue made of her being transgender.

PFLAG, FreeState Legal collaborate to answer questions about legal aspect of transition.

Gov. Martin O'Malley released excerpts of his final State of the State speech Thursday morning. His address to a joint session of the Maryland General Assembly begins at noon and will be live streamed at baltimoresun.com

McDaniel College is offering a course on homeless for the first time this year as part of its 50 January classes, which includes internships and independent study opportunities.

Failure to include lesbian wedding announcement put Catholic school in difficult position

The campaign to raise funds for the homeless and others in crisis benefits Howard County¿s Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center. It¿s part of a national effort to help alleviate hunger and poverty, and to teach young people about those less fortunate than themselves.

Immaculate Conception School is gearing up to celebrate Catholic Schools Week, Campus Hills Community Association will be hosting a family bowling event County Forensics League tournament, Notre Dame Preparatory School hosted 233 students from 22 schools. NDP's team tied with Loyola-Blakefield, Towson High School, several musicians auditioned for the most recent All Honors Jazz Band and Chorus.

Marijauna legalization is a moral imperative.

Three years after the attack on Chrissy Lee Polis, it's time Maryland protected the basic rights of transgender individuals

In ways beyond our calculation, all of us have been affected by King's legacy. So, in our toasts, let us not forget King's authentic work and his posterity for a generation that is recurrently confronted with racism, poverty, mass incarceration, materialism, militarism, economic inequality and a justice system that claims the lives of one in three African American males who largely populate inner cities.

The two boys from St. James & John School have a firm grip on conflict resolution.

Last week, the nation marked the 50th Anniversary of Lyndon Johnson's announcement of a federal War on Poverty, igniting a national discussion about the war's legacy and what a renewed effort to address social inequality might look like. But what about us here in Baltimore?

The Sundance Film Festival kicks off in Park City, Utah, on Thursday, which means a handful of LGBT-related movies will be making their premieres.

Groups that meet regularly in Howard County

Notre Dame Prep wouldn't print Sarah Rupert-Sullivan's same-sex wedding announcement, citing a school editorial policy which she says discriminates against LGBT people.

Discussion centering on the concentration of students living in poverty in various areas in Howard County, and how those students perform on state assessments, is not a new one. It was, however, the topic of conversation between the Howard County Council and the Board of Education at their quarterly meeting last week.

More needs to be done to win the War on Poverty

A bill to protect transgender Marylanders from discrimination in housing, employment and public accomodations was formally filed in Annapolis by Sen. Richard Madaleno on Tuesday.

In the face of the federal claim that homelessness has been receding since 2010, The U.S. Conference of Mayors reports that most cities are experiencing surges of homelessness. It's perhaps unsurprising, given a recent announcement by the chief federal housing official that our nation faces the most severe affordable rental housing crisis in our history.

In 50 years, much progress has been made in Johnson's War on Poverty

Transgender students at the University of Maryland, College Park seeking to undergo sex change surgery could have the cost covered in their health insurance plan next year, joining a recent wave of colleges and employers nationwide offering the benefit.

Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler said Friday that same-sex marriages performed in Utah -- but thrown into question there amid a court battle -- will be recognized in Maryland.

Lyndon Johnson's 'war on poverty' a mixed legacy that is now facing the threat of retreat

Groups meeting regularly in Howard County

Black men who experience "high levels" of racism and internalize it may age more quickly, according to a new University of Maryland, College Park study.

The city's housing commissioner will steer Baltimore's efforts to make homelessness rare and brief as chairman of the Journey Home new advisory board. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is expected to announce Tuesday the new composition of the board to lead the city's plan to find housing for the thousands of men, women and children without permanent shelter.

Same-sex couples can't wed while Utah case gets appealed

Nugent and Sister Jeannine Gramick founded New Ways Ministry in 1977 to support gay Catholics, drawing censure from church authorities.

Robert V. Hess, who turned his experience as a disabled veterans thrift store manager into a career as a homelessness solutions expert, died of liver cancer Dec. 24 at his home in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. The former Perry Hall resident was 57.

The U.S. government asked the Supreme Court on Friday not to allow Roman Catholic-affiliated groups a temporary exemption from a part of the Obamacare health care law that requires employers to provide insurance policies covering contraception.

The recent federal gay marriage rulings in Utah and Ohio signal the inevitability of marriage equality nationwide.

List of Howard County support groups