Law and Activism
The struggle for legal rights and protections in Montgomery County has paralleled efforts elsewhere in the country. Throughout most of American history, the law has generally worked against LGBTQ+ people. As Megan Springate writes in LGBTQ America,
"The path has not been a smooth one; civil rights of gender and sexual minorities have been explicitly taken away through law and infringed without penalty by violence, including gay bashing and murder, and exclusion from housing, employment, and public accommodation" (p.18-3).
From Maryland's colonial beginnings until as late as 1990, same-sex sexual relations were punishable by law, and in 1973 Maryland became the first state to explicitly ban marriage between individuals of the same sex. The absence of legal protections also had a negative effect, as LGBTQ+ people had limited ability to combat acts of discrimination and violence against them. During the mid-twentieth century, the tide slowly began to turn as LGBTQ+ organizations like the Suburban Maryland Lesbian/Gay Alliance (SMLGA) and the Montgomery County Gay and Lesbian Interests Consortium (GLIC) formed and laid the groundwork for future political movements.
In Montgomery County, a milestone in LGBTQ+ rights was achieved in 1984 with the passage of an anti-discrimination bill establishing sexual orientation as a protected status. In 1999, Montgomery County established a domestic partnership registry and extended employment benefits to the same-sex partners of county employees. In 2004, Takoma Park became the first municipality in the state to endorse same-sex marriage. These achievements would not have been possible without years of advocacy and education work by LGBTQ+ community organizations and their allies.
This exhibit explores three events that illustrate LGBTQ+ law and political activism in Montgomery County between 1970 and 2000. While these are by no means Montgomery County's only significant events, these key moments demonstrate how local LGBTQ+ activists fought for their rights and shed light on how public opinion on these issues has evolved.
In 1972, Joe Acanfora was hired as a science teacher at Parkland Junior High School in Rockville. Less than one month after starting, Acanfora was reassigned to a non-teaching position when news that he was gay became public. Acanfora challenged the decision in court and through media appearances, but was ultimately denied his return to the classroom.
On February 23, 1984, Montgomery County Executive Charles Gilchrist signed Bill #65-83 into law, which amended the county's anti-discrimination codes to include sexual orientation as a protected category. While opponents mounted a campaign to stop the bill by forcing it to a referendum in the fall, their efforts ultimately failed.
During the 1990s, LGBTQ+ rights activists in Montgomery County advocated for the County Council to extend domestic partner benefits to the same-sex partners of county employees. The effort to pass domestic partnership legislation was a long and at times frustrating process. After several rounds of proposals, the Montgomery County Council passed the Employee Benefits Equity Act in late 1999.
To read more on the 1984 and 1999 legal cases in Montgomery County, see the newest issue of the Montgomery County Story: "The Fight for 'Gay Rights': LGBTQ+ Civil Rights Legislation in 20th Century Montgomery County," published in December, 2022.
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