September 10th, 2023 by WCBC Radio

Governor Wes Moore and Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller visited Baltimore Safe Haven, a transitional housing facility in Baltimore that provides services for Maryland’s transgender community. The visit, made in partnership with the Maryland Commission on LGBTQIA+ Affairs, provided an opportunity to tour the organization’s housing facilities, learn about the services they offer, and participate in a discussion about the needs of transgender Marylanders.

“In Maryland, we lead with love and inclusion and nobody should have to justify their own humanity,” said Gov. Moore. “Baltimore Safe Haven provides help and hope to the people who need it most. The only way forward is together, and Baltimore Safe Haven has a partner in the State House. We have a lot of work to do, and we must tackle that work in partnership. If we do, we can build a kinder, safer Maryland for all.”

The Moore-Miller administration is working to ensure that Maryland is a safe haven for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. On March 31, Governor Moore proclaimed the first-ever International Transgender Day of Visibility in Maryland, celebrating transgender, gender diverse, nonbinary, and two-spirit people while raising awareness of the work that remains to achieve trans justice.

On May 3, Governor Moore signed the Trans Health Equity Act into law, which requires Maryland Medicaid to provide gender-affirming treatment and care in a nondiscriminatory manner, consistent with current clinical standards.

In June, Governor Moore proclaimed LGBTQIA+ Pride Month in Maryland, hosted the first LGBTQIA+ Pride reception in Government House, and signed an executive order to protect gender-affirming health care in Maryland. The order protects those who are seeking, receiving, or providing gender-affirming care in Maryland from attempts at legal punishment by other states. 

To learn more about Baltimore Safe Haven, visit baltimoresafehaven.org.