Baltimore transgender-led organization calls for city official's resignation

Baltimore Pride weekend is always meant to be a celebration, but some members of the city's transgender community are instead feeling shafted.

Since 2022, Baltimore has had a Trans Pride celebration put on by Maryland Safe Haven. The festivities typically run alongside the overall Baltimore Pride events.

It happened again this year, with both being held in Druid Hill Park. But Trans Pride was set up noticeably distant from where Baltimore Pride was.

Maryland Safe Haven and members of the trans community say the distance between the events made for a clear divide, also creating a divide in the people attending them.

Now, Maryland Safe Haven is calling for the head of the Mayor's Office of LGBTQ Affairs, Dr. Melanie Bryant, to step down.

The organizer of Baltimore Pride, the Pride Center of Maryland, issued an apology and said it has since parted ways with its entertainment company. 

One park, two prides

Maryland Safe Haven has not only sent a letter to Mayor Brandon Scott calling for Bryant's resignation, but it has also started an online petition.

As of 5 p.m. Thursday, the petition has nearly 200 signatures.

"This past weekend hurt. Baltimore Pride and Baltimore Trans Pride were not held in equitable spaces," part of the letter reads. "The lack of visibility and accessibility was not a minor oversight."

Renee Lau is Maryland Safe Haven's special projects coordinator. She said seeing the division hurt and stressed Bryant needs to step down.

"We feel now we have to go back to standing in front of city hall and shouting at the top of our lungs to get ourselves heard again. We don't wanna have to do that," Lau said.

Dominique Morgan was the Trans Pride grand marshal this year. She's been coming to the Baltimore celebration since it began in 2022.

"I walked down the hill, and I was like, okay, this isn't crazy far, but why is everything so separated. This feels awkward," Morgan said.

When Morgan wanted to make an announcement about Trans Pride performances on the main stage at Baltimore Pride, she got permission to do so.

However, when Morgan did, someone took the mic from her, and security was asked to move her.

"It was disgusting in the fact that this is supposed to be a day where we all get to celebrate, and it was disgusting in the fact that I know the privilege that I sit in," Morgan said. "I know there's some younger trans girl watching that right now saying, 'well, if that happens to Dominique Morgan, how are they going to treat me?'"

Lau added that Baltimore Police shut down their event at 9 p.m Saturday, despite having a permit that allowed them to go until midnight.

Morgan said she'll still come back next year, looking forward to a "re-do" from this year.

Lau, meanwhile, said Trans Pride will be better than ever.

"We're gonna go back to our roots, and we're gonna try to make it a community, neighborhood festival again. Instead of this blown-out thing that never got to be," she said.

Response from Baltimore Pride organizers and the city

The Pride Center of Maryland, the main organizer for Baltimore Pride, issued an apology on Sunday on stage.

It also released another one on social media Wednesday, confirming it has parted ways with an entertainment company it partners with to put on Baltimore Pride.

"After review and consideration, we have determined that it is in the best interest of PCOM and the communities we serve to move forward in a different direction," the statement partly reads. "Effective immediately, YAG Elite Management LLC and Tanisha Jackson no longer represent, act on behalf of, or have any affiliation with the Pride Center of Maryland in any official, contractual, or volunteer capacity."

WJZ spoke with a senior city official on the phone Thursday, who confirmed Mayor Scott saw Maryland Safe Haven's letter. The official said the mayor will respond to it with Maryland Safe Haven soon.

The city official also stressed that the city merely provides permits and other city services to both the Pride Center of Maryland and Maryland Safe Haven to put on these events, and the city doesn't organize the events.

Maryland Safe Haven was presented with multiple locations to choose from, according to the city official, before moving forward with the spot Trans Pride was in.