ANNAPOLIS, Md. - There have been major victories for sexual-orientation equality in recent years, including the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in the military, and the passage of same-sex marriage laws in Maryland and other states. However, there are few federal protections against discrimination in the workplace.

Too often, said Dr. Dana Beyer, executive director of Gender Rights Maryland, employers get away with mistreating gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender workers and job applicants.

"There are people who are obviously gender non-conforming, who come in for a job interview and are told, 'Oh no, we don't have any openings' - only to find out later that somebody else was hired a week or two later," Beyer said.

The Center for American Progress estimates that from 15 percent to 43 percent of gay, lesbian and bisexual people have experienced some form of discrimination and harassment in the workplace, and the numbers are dramatically higher for transgender employees. Beyer is trying to build support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, introduced last week in the U.S. House and Senate.

Maryland's U.S. senators, both Democrats, have expressed support for the legislation. Beyer explained that it would ban discrimination in hiring and on the job based on a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.

"Passage of ENDA would send a very powerful signal across the country," Beyer said, "that that kind of discrimination is not only illegal, but it's something, as Americans, that we don't tolerate."

Maryland has a state law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation, but efforts to extend protections to transgender people failed in the last General Assembly.

Details of the Senate bill are online at scribd.com.





get more stories like this via email

A schoolhouse in far West Texas has been designated as a unit of the U.S. National Park System.

The Blackwell School is a former de facto segregated school, built in 1909 and used until 1965 to educate Mexican and Mexican American children in Marfa. In 2006, the Marfa Independent School District planned to demolish the building but alumni of the school started a group to save the site and its memories.

Daniel Hernandez, president of the Blackwell School Alliance, said they fought to preserve history.

"It's just such a thrilling moment for the alliance and for the Marfa community," Hernandez explained. "I think also for so many of our alumni, this really is, I think, a moment that is really, really validating and tells a more complete history of American history, and ensure that these experiences are told in the way that they deserve to be."

The site consists of the original 1909 adobe schoolhouse and a smaller classroom built in 1927. The designation permanently protects the site and helps tell the story of Texas school districts creating segregated elementary schools for Mexican American children.

The school is open for tours on Saturdays and Sundays from noon until 4 p.m., and from 9 a.m. until noon on Mondays. Hernandez noted the hours will be extended thanks to financial support from the National Parks Board. His grandparents attended the Blackwell School and he stressed the project brought the community together.

"The museum that exists there, and all the artifacts and the repository of historical significance that exists there, is because of our alumni who donated their school records and their band twirler uniforms and their letterman jackets and photographs," Hernandez outlined.

The park was authorized by the Blackwell School National Historic Site Act, signed by President Joe Biden in 2022.

Hernandez noted the building contains photographs, memorabilia and interpretive panels featuring quotes and stories from students and teachers.

"The breadth and depth of the American experience is so wide and so vast and sometimes the history books don't always reflect those experiences," Hernandez contended. "The Blackwell School, for so many Mexican Americans, they finally have this place that now stands as a manifestation of grassroots work where history is going to be examined and interpreted."


get more stories like this via email

Columbia County, New York, is implementing new facial recognition and privacy policies, following new upgrades to the county's surveillance cameras, which include facial and license plate recognition software.

Michael Chameides, Hudson 3rd Ward representative on the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, said residents told him they want privacy, arguing the technology is overused elsewhere. He pointed out the new protections can guarantee privacy rights and more.

"We want people to have reasonable expectations of privacy," Chameides explained. "That means we would limit how people are tracked and how that information is archived. We also want to reduce the number of people who have access to that database, so it's really just a need-to-know basis as it pertains to the biggest public safety issues."

He added they will also need protections on how data is used, such as only for urgent public safety matters. Using this kind of technology resulted in Detroit's Police Department arresting a few people based on bad facial recognition matches. Now, the department uses standards endorsed by the American Civil Liberties Union. Columbia County's policies have already gone into effect.

Another concern with implementing cameras was whether the data they collect could be monitored by someone who could abuse their power. Chameides noted it is unlikely. The cameras were not turned on until the policy was completed. He added part of the policy calls for the facial recognition system to be turned on during urgent moments.

"There's a very small group of people who would have the power to both turn it on and use that data," Chameides emphasized. "And then, at the end, we also have a reporting mechanism, where every year, the people in charge of sort of turning the systems on would then report back to the board about how it's being used."

Taking such steps limits the scope of who can access the data and focuses on the moments facial recognition would need to be used.

A program in the Columbia River Gorge helps migrant farmworkers' families during harvest season.

The Resources Available for Migrant Access to Services group is led by the Oregon Child Development Coalition in Hood River and Wasco Counties. It provides support during a four-week period of peak harvest time, including food boxes to families.

Leah Hall, community philanthropy manager for the Columbia Gorge Food Bank in The Dalles, said migrant workers follow the harvest and often bring their families with them.

"We provide culturally appropriate and shelf-stable food boxes to distribute to families when they arrive during this transitional time," Hall explained. "These direct distributions just allow for an efficient use of time and resources for families while also reducing some of the pressure on our public pantry partners throughout the region."

Harvest season in the Columbia River Gorge typically happens between June and October, with cherries in season during July.

Hall pointed out the group provides more than food boxes.

"Through the coordination of all these partners that work in this RAMAS collaborative, the communities of migrant farmworkers and families receives education, nutrition, health, social services, mental health and disabilities, and family engagement education services," Hall outlined.

Coordination from the group is key for another reason. Hall noted they work with orchardists and farm owners in the region to determine when workers are expected to arrive.

"We're able to pack our boxes on our end as close to the harvest date as possible and get it in the hand of those who need it as they're arriving," Hall emphasized. "The timing is really quite amazing and efficient just based on the communication of everyone working in this program."