Skip to main content

Losing Sight of Freedom






Dear Senator Alsobrooks: I want my vote back.

I didn’t expect to wake up to this news as I scanned Bluesky this morning, but: there it was. 

Here are the 28 Dem Senators who voted to advance the first federal ban on trans athletes & a federal definition of sex that would make trans & intersex people non-existent: Angela Alsobrooks (MD), Tammy Baldwin (WI), Richard Blumenthal (CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE), Chris Coons (DE)…

I noticed a comment:

Angela Alsobrooks, grand marshal of the 50th baltimore pride parade

Really? 

Really???

Yup.


Image from Angela Alsobrooks social media accounts


The photo above was accompanied by these words:

I was so honored to lead Baltimore's 50th Pride Parade as Grand Marshal and celebrate with our community in love and appreciation for our LGBTQ neighbors.

We must never lose sight that everyone deserves the freedom to be who they are and love who they love.

I am livid. 

When did Ms. Alsobrooks “lose sight that everyone deserves the freedom to be who they are?” Is it possible that she never truly had it in the first place? Or that it was convenient to say until it was put to the test?

I had the opportunity to meet Ms. Alsobrooks and hear her speak when she was running for this senate seat. There were a lot of good reasons to support her and wrote about them at the time. 

This summer I had an opportunity to attend a meet and greet event for Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, who is running for the Senate seat which will open when Benjamin Cardin retires. I found her to be experienced, confident, capable, and more than ready to take on the responsibilities of the job. In addition, I’ve been pretty vocal on the blog that Maryland needs more women, especially Black women, in positions of elected leadership. 

Why? Because representation matters. Different perspectives matter. When voices are missing then all too often needs and aspirations are overlooked, or worse - - seen and yet still neglected. 

- - Making Choices and Honoring Voices in Maryland’s Senate Race, October 25, 2023

One thing I didn’t write about was her response to my question during the Q & A portion of the evening.

She hadn’t spoken about LGBTQIA rights during her speech, so I asked what her plans were to protect their rights and be responsive to their concerns. I was, honestly, disappointed in her response. It didn’t show much thought or commitment. 

How to characterize it - - lame? Anemic? Weak sauce?

The fact that she wasn’t ready with a well-thought out response that showed passion and commitment concerned me. 

There were plenty of good reasons to support Ms. Alsobrooks at the time. This stayed with me like a nagging worry. I hoped I was wrong.

It looks like I wasn’t.

To clarify, this is something that was tacked on to a defense appropriations bill. As such it may only apply to military academies. Nonetheless, it is a governmental codification of people who must be banned or excluded. To me, such a vote is inexcusable. We are living through a time where we see forces determined to extinguish the rights of trans Americans in every area of life. Democrats should be fighting this, loudly. At the very least they should not be helping.

Let me rephrase that. Any decent human being should be fighting this. 

I am left this morning with my own words and a deep regret that my Senator, when push comes to shove, doesn’t represent my values and the people I care about.

Representation matters. Different perspectives matter. When voices are missing then all too often needs and aspirations are overlooked, or worse - - seen and yet still neglected. 


Village Green/Town² Comments 


Comments

  1. Julia A. McCreadyDecember 16, 2025 at 4:50 AM

    Please do not submit comments here. This function will be disabled shortly. Use the link above instead. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more