1. Under what circumstances should a transgender person be limited to using facilities designated for their sex assigned at birth (e.g. a trans woman required to use a men’s restroom or locker room)?

They should not. Under no circumstances should a transgender person have their access to a restroom, locker room, or other gender divided space be limited. The rhetoric used to support any argument supporting a ban like this is not based in reality and instead rooted in anti-trans sentiment and right wing propaganda.

2. Do you support protecting medical providers’ right to prescribe gender affirming care to transgender patients under 18 years old?

Yes. Gender affirming care is essential for the individuals that seek it. There is a tremendous amount of harm and trauma that can be avoided by ensuring a young person gets access to the care they need.

Medical providers should always feel empowered to give the highest quality treatment and care to their patients and should not feel that they are putting their livelihood in jeopardy by providing this essential care to minors. We consistently say that the government has no right to intervene between the care of a doctor and their patients. Contrary to the rhetoric we hear on the right, there is no evidence that medical providers are forcing cisgender youth to transition.

3. What limits, if any, should be placed on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in county government?

DEI is essential to making sure our county government represents the people it is serving and can ensure that well intentioned policies have their intended outcomes. The only place I pause is when the right uses the concept to platform bigoted voices and policies. Ensuring hate does not get a seat at the table makes “hate has no home here” not just a saying, but a promise.

4. What restrictions should be placed on children’s content (books, videos, etc.) that refers to LGBTQ+ identities?

We should ensure that there is representation of LGBTQ+ identities and family structures in all levels of student content. We do not suppress content based upon any other characteristics and the same should apply for books featuring identities or relationships.

We know that queer youth experience higher rates of bullying. It is especially important that our curriculum reflects our values of acceptance, inclusion and understanding through representation.

5. What proof, if any, should a person transitioning from one gender to another need to in order to change government issued documents? Are there any circumstances when this should be forbidden?

There should never be a circumstance where a person would be denied a government issued document due to onerous standards of proof. The county government does not set the requirements for obtaining government identification, but for the official documents that we do issue, an affidavit or piece of mail should suffice.

6. Do you approve of non-binary gender markers such as “X” instead of “M” or “F” on government documents? Why or why not?

I do approve of the use of a gender marker “X” for non-binary people who wish to use it. This is a simple policy that would allow for individuals to have documents that accurately represent them and permits our systems to reflect the diversity of people that exist within it.

7. Should a transgender child who wants to participate in athletics but is uncomfortable in a program for their sex assigned at birth be allowed to participate in a program for the gender they transitioned to? (e.g. a transgender girl who is uncomfortable playing on a boys’ team but who wants to take part in sports).

Banning a student athlete based upon their sex assigned at birth is discrimination and it is cruel. We need to make sure we educated people about the lack of evidence connected to danger or unfairness outside of the normal levels one expects from being an athlete. Again, too often we have allow right wing scare tactics to win out over actual facts.

8. When transgender people are incarcerated or detained, how should officials decide what gender they should be held with?

Decisions about housing should be based upon the detainee’s preferred placement. Transgender people who are incarcerated face much higher rates of violence while detained and as a result, their safety must be made a prior by whatever government agency is maintaining their care and custody.

9. What restrictions, if any, would be appropriate on entertainment, such as drag shows, with content that involves crossdressing or other gender-nonconforming behavior?

Drag and gender non-conforming expression have been part of society and culture for hundreds of years. As with any performance, content should be appropriately disclosed for audiences, but restrictions are both unnecessary and unconstitutional. Again, I will not have Howard County's legislative priorities set by hate mongers on Fox News and right wing social media.

10. When should therapies, such as conversion therapy, that seek to alter patients’ LGBTQ+ identity or change the behavior associated with such an identity, be allowed? When should they be restricted? Does it matter if the patient is a minor?

Conversion therapy has been widely discredited by major medical and psychological organizations. Despite this Supreme Court's terrible decision in Salazar, Maryland must strengthen the protections against and penalties for the practice of conversion therapy in any form, especially for minors.