Homosexuality
    ✔ Legal
    Gay Marriage
    ✔ Legal
    Censorship
    ✔ No censorship
    Changing Gender
    ✔ Legal, no restrictions
    Gender-Affirming Care
    ✔ Legal
    Non-Binary Gender Recognition
    ✔ Recognized
    Discrimination
    ✔ Illegal
    Employment Discrimination
    ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
    Housing Discrimination
    ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
    Adoption
    ✔ Legal
    Intersex Infant Surgery
    Unknown
    Military
    ✔ Legal
    Donating Blood
    Unknown
    Conversion Therapy
    ✔ Banned
    Age of Consent
    ✔ Equal
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History

Homosexual activity in Maryland

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Homosexual activity in Maryland is legal.

Current status
Since Jan 19, 1999
Legal
Settlement of Williams v. Glendening, Baltimore Circuit Court. In 2023, Maryland removed the statute criminalising sodomy from its state law.
Sources:
Eskridge, William N. "Dishonorable Passions: Sodomy Laws in America", p. 395. Additionally: books.google.com/books?id=D…
lgbtqnation.com/2023/05/min…
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Same-sex marriage in Maryland

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Same-sex marriage in Maryland is legal.

Current status
Since Jan 1, 2013
Legal
On 01 January 2012, Maryland legalized same-sex marriage.
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Censorship of LGBT issues in Maryland

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Censorship of LGBT issues in Maryland is no censorship.

Current status
No censorship
There are no laws censoring LGBT topics in Maryland.
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Right to change legal gender in Maryland

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Right to change legal gender in Maryland is legal, no restrictions.

Current status
Since 2019
Legal, no restrictions
Minors 16 and over, and Adults are able to get an drivers license as of 2019. Birth Certificates and other governmental documents are be abled to be changed as well.
Sources:
courts.state.md.us/genderid…~:text=To%20ask%20the%20court%20for,CC-DR-121).
mva.maryland.gov/about-mva/…
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Gender-affirming care in Maryland

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Gender-affirming care in Maryland is legal.

Current status
Since Jan 8, 2024
Legal
Minors over the age of 16 (with certain younger exceptions) and Adults can receive gender-affirming care in Maryland. In 2024, Department of Health of Maryland required Medicaid to give access to gender-affirming care to those who are on Medicaid.
This includes hormones, gender-affirming surgeries, voice surgery and therapy, facial surgery, preventative care after transition, and reversal of gender-affirming surgeries for detransitioners.
Sources:
health.maryland.gov/newsroo…~:text=The%20Trans%20Health%20Equity%20Act,are%20transgender%20and%20gender%20diverse.
umms.org/ummc/health-servic…
health.maryland.gov/psych/p…
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Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Maryland

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Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Maryland is recognized.

Current status
Since Oct 1, 2019
Recognized
Maryland residents can self-identify their gender (with an X gender marker as one of the options) on their driver's license or state IDs.

LGBT discrimination in Maryland

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LGBT discrimination in Maryland is illegal.

Current status
Illegal
People are protected from discrimination based upon both sexual orientation and gender identification.
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LGBT employment discrimination in Maryland

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LGBT employment discrimination in Maryland is sexual orientation and gender identity.

Current status
Since 2014
Sexual orientation and gender identity
State law provides for protections against employment discrimination in regards to both sexual orientation and gender identification.
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LGBT housing discrimination in Maryland

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LGBT housing discrimination in Maryland is sexual orientation and gender identity.

Current status
Sexual orientation and gender identity
Maryland explicitly bans housing discrimination based upon sexual orientation and gender identification.

Additionally, the Human Rights Campaign states, "The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires grantees and participants of HUD programs to comply with local and state non-discrimination laws that include sexual orientation and gender identity. HUD also prohibits inquiries regarding the sexual orientation or gender identity of a prospective tenant or applicant for assisted housing in every state (March 2012)."
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Same-sex adoption in Maryland

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Same-sex adoption in Maryland is legal.

Current status
Legal
State statute permits any adult to petition for adoption per MD Code Ann. Fam. Law, §5-331. Second-parent adoption has been allowed in lower courts.
Sources:
lambdalegal.org/states-regi…
MD Code Ann. Fam. Law, §5-331
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Intersex infant surgery in Maryland

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Intersex infant surgery in Maryland is unknown.

Current status
Unknown

Serving openly in military in Maryland

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Serving openly in military in Maryland is legal.

Current status
Since Feb 26, 2021
Legal under federal United States law
President Biden removed former President Trumps ban on transgender people serving in the military, transgender people are still allowed to serve as of 2024.


A year after the ban was lifted, Admiral Levine was sworn into being an Admiral, becoming the first transgender woman to hold a high rank in the Navy and in Cabinet.
Apr 11, 2019–Feb 26, 2021
Lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned under federal United States law
New policy goes into effect barring individuals with a "condition" known as "gender dysphoria."
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Sep 20, 2011–Apr 11, 2019
Legal under federal United States law
In 2011, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was repealed by the Obama Administration. Former President Obama allowed members who were dishonorably discharged under DADT, to receive an honorable discharge.
Dec 21, 1993–Sep 20, 2011
Don't Ask, Don't Tell under federal United States law
Don't Ask, Don't Tell was the historic compromise signed by President Bill Clinton authorizing people who are LGBT to serve in the military provided they didn't disclose sexuality. The law also removed the ability for others in the military from asking for a service member's orientation.
Sources:
gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-104p…
catalog.archives.gov/id/122244870 *official document for DADT signed by Former President Clinton*
gao.gov/assets/nsiad-92-98.pdf *study from 1992 to 1998*
history.com/news/dont-ask-d…
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Blood donations by MSMs in Maryland

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Blood donations by MSMs in Maryland is unknown.

Current status
Unknown

Conversion therapy in Maryland

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Conversion therapy in Maryland is banned.

Current status
Since May 15, 2018
Banned
On May 15th, 2018, Maryland’s governor Lawrence J. Hogan (R) signed SB 1028 (also known as the Youth Mental Health Protection Act) into law.
Until May 15, 2018
Not banned
Before 2018, there was no law in Maryland that banned conversion therapy.
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Equal age of consent in Maryland

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Equal age of consent in Maryland is equal.

Current status
Equal
Maryland defines as anyone 16 years of age to be unable to consent, this includes MSM and Female relationships.
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