Baltimore OUTloud | LGBT Community News

Thursday, 15 July 2010 22:00 Woody Derricks Finance

Market Volatility and Your Retirement: Can Timing Alter Your Plans?

By Woody Derricks, President
Partnership Wealth Management

Investors saving for long-term goals can usually overlook short-term market volatility in the interest of long-term gain. But for retirees, who increasingly rely on their investments to fund their living costs, market volatility can mean the difference between living comfortably and just scraping by. In fact, retirees are particularly vulnerable to market downturns, especially in the early years of retirement, because of their dependence on portfolio income, their limited investment horizon and their need to make sure their savings last throughout their retirement.

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Thursday, 01 July 2010 20:00 Steve Charing Local News

Baltimore's Steamy Pride Weekend a Success
by Steve Charing
The 35th lgbt Pride celebration on the weekend of June 19-20 is now in our rear view mirror, but the memories should be lasting. The annual event is a program of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore (GLCCB), and it appeared from all observations that it was successfully executed.
The thousands who participated will not soon forget the Baltimore-ish heat and humidity that dominated both days causing many to wear minimalist clothing throughout. Yet seeing the community come together, to celebrate and to honor the past struggles were reasons to shrug off the discomfort of late-June weather.
The official kick-off to the Pride weekend was the high-heel race that actually began ahead of schedule. The zaniness of this event is popular and traditional, but sometimes even traditions change. This year, for the first time, women were allowed to participate in the block-long race. Did their advantage of perhaps wearing high heels in the past help secure a victory? Not this time. A young man, Scott Whalen, 21, came away with the prize for his finishing in less than 30 seconds. A total of 15 folks competed.
Last Updated on Saturday, 03 July 2010 00:18 Read more...

Thursday, 01 July 2010 20:00 Staff Local News

Transgender Person Runs for State Delegate

Dr. Dana Beyer, an eye surgeon and politician, is seeking to become the first transgender person to be elected to Maryland's legislature. Her campaign officially kicked off on June 26. She has received an endorsement from the Victory Fund—an organization that supports qualified candidates who happen to be lgbt—and Equality Maryland.

Beyer, who is a Democrat, is running for one of the three seats in the district, which is located in Montgomery County and includes Silver Spring, Wheaton, Kensington and Chevy Chase, among other jurisdictions. She had tried unsuccessfully to capture a seat in the House in 2006.

A gay man, Luke Clippinger, is running for a seat in the House of Delegates in District 43, and lesbians Mary Washington, (Dist. 46), and Bonnie Cullison (Dist. 19) are also vying for a seat. All four are Democrats and are hoping to join four other openly lgbt folks in the Maryland legislature: Dels. Anne R. Kaiser (D-Dist. 14), Maggie L. McIntosh (D-Dist. 43) and Heather R. Mizeur (D-Dist. 20); and Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (D-Dist. 18). The primary election is September 14. All except for Beyer are running for vacated seats.

Annapolis Mayor Announces Same-Sex Benefits

Annapolis Mayor Joshua Cohen announced on June 22 that city employees in Annapolis will be able to include same-sex domestic partners on their health plans starting July 1, 2010. Annapolis will join several local jurisdictions and the state government in providing benefits to same-sex partners.

Annapolis will join over a dozen local government entities across the state that offer domestic partner benefits including, Montgomery and Howard counties, and the cites of Baltimore, College Park, Greenbelt, Hyattsville, Mount Rainier and Takoma Park. Last year, Governor O'Malley extended benefits to the domestic partners of state employees.

"We applaud Mayor Cohen and his administration for their commitment to fairness," said Morgan Meneses-Sheets, executive director of Equality Maryland, the state's largest lgbt civil rights organization.