Maryland

Earlier this year the Hartford County School District - in Maryland - un-blocked several web sites that provide information about gays and lesbians. The move sparked protests from some parents, who say they should have been consulted before the change was made. Previously, sites like the Human Rights Campaign were blocked from students.

Baltimore's ABC2News.com reports:

A Maryland state senator has introduced a measure that would prohibit the state from recognizing gay marriages authorized elsewhere without legislative approval.

Sen. Nancy Jacobs, R-Harford, says her bill is intended to invalidate a recent opinion from Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler.

2/26/2009

BaltimoreSun.com reports that Maryland's highest court has ruled in favor of an adoptive mother who seeks to deny her former partner visitation rights to a child that both had cared for during their relationship.

Janice M. adopted a child from India during her 18-year relationship with Margaret K. After the women ended the relationship, Margaret petitioned the court for custody and won.

The American Surrogacy Center says the District of Columbia is very unfriendly toward surrogacy.

There's a new movement happening that is strengthening support for us. African American activist groups are beginning to publicly equate our struggle for equality with theirs.

In Ft. Lauderdale - where gay men have been subjected to embarrassing rhetoric from Mayor Naugle - Marsha Ellison, President of Fort Lauderdale NAACP, has stood proudly for our dignity against accusations from Naugle about public sex.

Maryland Court of Special Appeals has ruled that two unmarried individuals in a "stable" relationship may adopt a child. This decision paves the way for adoption of a child by the parent's partner. Also called second-parent adoption. Parameters of single-parent adoption are unknown at this time.

An important feature of Maryland law for artificial insemination surrogacy is found in its adoption law. A non-resident can file a petition for adoption in a Maryland court, if the birth mother (which would be the surrogate) resides in Maryland.

Little League sign-up was the final straw.

Cynthia Garnette and her partner have two sons - one born to Garnette, one her partner adopted at birth - but Virginia law made it impossible for them, as a same-sex couple, to both be legal parents of both kids. It occurred to Garnette one day, as she was taking her 5-year-old son to play baseball, that she could run into trouble registering him because of her tenuous legal situation.