WATCH: Transgender Victim Of Violent Attack Speaks

Apparently, a white transgender woman was physically attacked by two black female teenagers in a Baltimore-area McDonald's restaurant on Saturday. Joe.My.God has posted cell-phone video of the actual attack, which shows McDonald's employees simply watching and laughing (one of whom has since been fired).

The Baltimore Sun has posted the video above with the victim, Chrissy Lee Polis, and has more details about the incident:

County police confirmed that the attack occurred April 18 in the 6300 block of Kenwood Ave. Police said the 14-year-old girl has been charged as a juvenile, while charges were pending against an 18-year-old woman. Reached Saturday, police officials said the investigation was continuing.

The police report does not provide a motive but quotes one of the suspects saying that the fight was "over using a bathroom."

Polis suffered cuts to her mouth and face, and said she had a seizure. She also acknowledged that she was intoxicated at the time of the assault.

On Saturday she said she continued to suffer from painful bruises.

Polis, who said she had a sex-change operation to become a woman, said this isn't the first time that she's been picked on physically because of her sexual identity. She said she's been subjected to beatings and even sexual assaults.

She said seeing herself all over the Internet and all over the news has been "like walking out of the closet all over again." Polis is concerned that the public attention could trigger more violence — and worries it could hurt her chances of getting a job. "I want to cry, but I need to hold my head up," she said.

Her twin brother, Matty Polis, who also lives in Baltimore, said it's been painful to watch her have to endure these sorts of attacks.

"My sister has gotten this her entire life," Matty Polis said. "Being the way she is, she's always had a hard time."

It's interesting that this incident would happen just a few weeks after the Maryland legislature punted on improving protections for transgender residents, although the legislation being considered would not have included public accommodations protections. Maryland does have a hate-crimes law inclusive of gender identity.

Black Female Senator Holds Deciding Vote On Marriage?

State Senator Joan Carter Conway (D)

As regular readers of this blog know, Maryland is currently engaging in a legislative debate about expanding civil marriage rights to same-sex couples. State Senator Joan Carter Conway, an African-American woman who represents the Baltimore area has emerged as the likely 24th (and deciding) vote to legalize marriage equality in the great state of Maryland.

Rod 2.0 reports:

The deciding vote: Joan Carter Conway, a veteran Baltimore Democrat.

In interviews Monday, two more senators said they intended to vote for the bill, increasing the number who have made such commitments to 24 - the bare majority needed for passage in the 47-member Senate - according to an ongoing Washington Post tally.  The Post's count of 24 senators includes one - Joan Carter Conway (D-Baltimore) - who has said she will not vote for the bill if she believes it will fail. Conway told The Post last week that she "would pray real hard" and vote for the bill if hers was the deciding vote. Still, it is clear that the legislation, which has stalled in previous years, has considerable momentum.

The Baltimore Sun has a tally of publicly announced Senator's positions on the legislation, which will face its first committee votes on Thursday February 17th and a full Senate floor vote on Tuesday February 22nd.

For (23)
Sen. James Brochin, Baltimore County Democrat
Sen. Bill Ferguson, Baltimore Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Jennie Forehand, Montgomery County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Brian Frosh, Montgomery County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Rob Garagiola, Montgomery County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Lisa Gladden, Baltimore Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Verna Jones, Baltimore Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Edward Kasemeyer, Baltimore and Howard counties Democrat
Sen. Delores Kelley, Baltimore County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Nancy King, Montgomery County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Allan H. Kittleman, Howard County Republican
Sen. Katherine Klausmeier, Baltimore County Democrat
Sen. Richard Madaleno, Montgomery County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Roger Manno, Montgomery County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Nathaniel McFadden, Baltimore Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Karen Montgomery, Montgomery County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Paul Pinsky, Prince George's County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Catherine E. Pugh, Baltimore Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Victor Ramirez, Prince George's County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Jamie Raskin, Montgomery County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. James Robey, Howard County Democrat
Sen. Ronald Young, Frederick County Democrat (sponsor)
Sen. Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore County Democrat (sponsor)


No public position/Undecided
Sen. John Astle, Anne Arundel County Democrat
Sen. James Brochin, Baltimore County Democrat (supports)
Sen. Joan Carter Conway, Baltimore Democrat
Sen. Ulysses Currie, Prince George's County Democrat
Sen. Edward Kasemeyer, Baltimore and Howard counties Democrat (supports)
Sen. Katherine Klausmeier, Baltimore County Democrat (supports)
Sen. James Rosapepe, Prince George's County Democrat

If any one of the twenty-three seators in the "For" column actually votes against the measure then Sen. Conway may vote against the legislation, fearing it would fail? This is such an insupportable position! Either one thinks marriage should be between two people regardless of gender or you don't! I hope that Sen. Conway discovers that as she "pray[s] real hard" that it is not okay to vote to discriminate against any other group of people, especially as a "double minority" herself.

I must say that it is pretty shocking that in such a Democrat-dominated state that this is even an issue. Already Maryland will recognize marriages from other states, this is about giving that same opportunity to Marylanders to not have to leave the state to get married.

Also, when the Governor O;Malley signs the marriage bill into law, the National Organization for Marriage will do all it can to try to overturn the measure at the ballot in 2012, so this is really just a skirmish in the war for marriage equality.

Greatest Quotes From 'The Wire'

Lesbian Conductor Marin Alsop In Town Friday

Marin Alsop of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is the first female head of a major metropolitan orchestra. She is also an out lesbian. She is guest conducting with the Los Angeles Philharmonic this Friday, December 12 in a program that contains two "wickedly difficult" pieces composed by Brahms (with a violin solo by Nikolaj Znaider) as part of their Casual Friday concerts at the beautiful Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles.

Tragedy on "The Wire": Everybody gotta wait!

Oh no! The long-awaited final 95-minute episode of the seminal HBO series The Wire will be broadcast next Sunday and for the first time, those of us with HBO on Demand will not get to watch the episode a week early! I saw the penultimate episode of the fifth and final season last Tuesday and it is a doozy (read Entertainment Weekly's recap here).

Mad Professah will definitely be in front of the TV next Sunday watching the final episode of The Wire, with a handkerchief!

'The Wire' Returns On January 6th!

The best show on television, The Wire, is starting it's fifth and final season of 10 episodes on January 6th. (Actually if you have Time Warner Cable you can see the first episode on HBO On Demand starting January 31.)

The Wire has been one of Mad Professah's favorite television shows since discovering the second season by accident. I immediately bought the first season DVDs and devoured the entire 13-episode season in a weekend in order to catch up on the back story as the second season unspooled.

Here is a promo for the 5th Season

In addition to this vieo, the producers have released some cute "prequel" videos prior to the start of the final season, mostly for cultlike fans to enjoy, since if you haven't seen the show before you won't really understand their significance.