The Fight for "Gay Rights": LGBTQ+ Civil Rights Legislation in 20th Century Montgomery County
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Authors
Satterfield, Emma
Issue Date
2022-12-15
Relation
Vol. 65;No. 2
Language
en_US
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Abstract
From Maryland's colonial beginnings until as late as 1990, same-sex sexual relations were punishable by law, and in 1973 Maryland became the first state to explicitly ban marriage between individuals of the same sex. The absence of legal protections also had a negative effect, as LGBTQ+ people had limited ability to combat acts of discrimination and violence against them. During the mid-twentieth century, the tide slowly began to turn as LGBTQ+ organizations like the Suburban Maryland Lesbian/Gay Alliance (SMLGA) and the Montgomery County Gay and Lesbian Interests Consortium (GLIC) formed and laid the groundwork for future political movements.
Two milestones in LGBTQ+ rights were achieved with the passage of an anti-discrimination bill establishing sexual orientation as a protected status in 1984, and the establishment of a domestic partnership registry which extended employment benefits to the same-sex partners of county employees in 1999. This article describes the years of advocacy, education, and legal work by LGBTQ+ community organizations and allies to achieve these two milestones for civil rights in Montgomery County.
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Publisher
Montgomery History