McIntosh praises openness

On Tuesday, Del. Maggie McIntosh met at the Mattin Center with Hopkins students for an informal discussion about her experiences as the House Majority leader. McIntosh is the first woman and the only openly gay member of the Maryland state legislature to hold this position.

The event, co-hosted by DSAGA and the College Democrats, was one of the final events of DSAGA Awareness Days.

McIntosh opened the discussion with a brief synopsis of her political background. Having begun her career as an art teacher, she described how she developed an interest in politics by helping friends run their political campaigns. In 1987, McIntosh was recommended to be a state-wide campaign manager for Michael Dukakis. She described it as a turning point in her career. McIntosh chose to leave her job as an art teacher and pursue a full-time career in politics.

In relating her experiences as a civil servant, McIntosh remarked that her sexuality was common knowledge among friends and colleagues. "Anyone that knew me [personally] knew I was a lesbian-My first principle in life was to live honestly, and basically to live fairly openly."

McIntosh described her political ideology as one driven by actions, not sexual orientation. "I ran as an educator, as a community activist-and as a pro-choice Democratic woman," she said. As she described her political experience, McIntosh stressed the importance of not allowing oneself to be defined by sexual orientation. "How put off would you be if somebody printed up a brochure that said, 'I'm a straight running for office.'- What does that tell you?"

One of the important topics McIntosh discussed was the recent Anti-Discrimination Bill. The bill, which was passed in early April, prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation regarding public accommodations, housing, and employment.

After passing the House and being rejected by the Senate last year, the bill was passed this year, largely as the result of McIntosh's persistent lobbying. McIntosh gave much of the credit to fellow supporters of the bill, including Governor Paris Glendening. "If it weren't for Governor Glendening, this bill would not have passed, because he single-handedly got that bill out of the Senate."

The Anti-Discrimination Bill prompted McIntosh to come out publicly about her sexual orientation, which she recalls as "the most tremendous, rewarding event of my adult political life." In light of last year's Senate rejection of the bill, McIntosh remarked, "Part of what moved me to be more and more public about this was the referendum." She described her decision as "100 percent rewarding and positive." Contrary to past incidences, McIntosh's coming out was met with virtually no negative response. Rather, she remarked on the warm support she received from colleagues and friends, who praised her courage in going public about her sexuality. Following her decision to come out, McIntosh described the comfort level between herself and her colleagues as "tremendous."

While her own experiences in coming out were widely accepted among friends and colleagues, McIntosh stressed that it's not the same for all people in her situation. She recounted the story of visiting a friend who was a lesbian and lived in a small Kansas town. "I saw the stark differences between her life- her living closeted in a small town, and me living very openly and very honestly, and how different our lives are in terms of the quality of our life, our mental health, and our ability to contribute and be successful, and I thought, 'Wow. There are a lot of people living like my friend Carolyn in Maryland who are really afraid.'"

"I believe that- part of the aim of [the legislative body] of politics is to educate people so that people like me, who come from an urban area, who are gay, have a place and have a role in the legislature and also represent that constituency."

McIntosh strongly maintained that her private honesty about her sexuality greatly facilitated the ease with which her coming out was accepted by her colleagues and the general public. In retrospect, she found that her honesty and previous contributions to civil service worked to her advantage. "I was allowed to do it and be accepted because of who I am and what I've done and how honest and open I'd been previously with my colleagues," she said.

McIntosh also described a local shift in attitude in the political sphere, that is, more politicians are running as openly gay or lesbian candidates. While McIntosh criticized the use of one's sexuality as a campaign plug, she praised this shift as one that reflects growing honesty and awareness. "I do think that trying to figure out how your sexual orientation plays into who you are and what you are is a very important thing to do."

Regarding the future of Maryland politics, McIntosh discussed other controversial legislature still in various stages of conception. In lieu of the passage of the Anti-Discrimination Bill, McIntosh remarked on the currently perceived lull in Maryland legislature. She expressed hope that the Hate Crimes Bill will pass next year, but was less optimistic about legislature on gay marriages and gay adoptions, citing that such legislation had less widespread support than the Anti-Discrimination Bill.