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Shortly after the failure of Maryland's marriage equality bill and a gender identity measure, Equality Maryland is facing shutdown over financial problems. Chris Geidner reports at Metro Weekly:

Equality Maryland could shut down operations at the end of June if it does not collect $20,000 to $25,000 in donations to cover operating expenses, according to members of the statewide LGBT-advocacy organization's board. Those expenses include rent for its Baltimore office headquarters, as well as salary for current staff. Equality Maryland has two full-time staff members, while interim Executive Director Lynne Bowman earns roughly $7,000 per month, employed as an independent contractor. Charles Butler, board president of Equality Maryland Inc., the lobbying arm of Equality Maryland, says the organization had ''gotten away from engaging the community as far as fundraising goes to cover operating costs'' under past leadership.

Yesterday Equality Maryland issued a plea for donations.

Hate crimes charges have been filed against the two Maryland teens arrested last month for the brutal attack on a transgender woman at a Baltimore McDonald's.

The indictment returned Monday by a Baltimore County grand jury charges Teonna Brown with assault and a hate crime in the attack on Chrissy Lee Polis last month. She is also charged with assaulting a customer and a McDonald's employee who tried to intervene. A 14-year-old girl is facing the same charges in juvenile court. A videotape of the April 18 beating posted online shows a woman being attacked repeatedly while an employee and customer try to stop them. The woman then appears to have a seizure.

The day after the attack, McDonald's fired the employee who filmed the incident with his cell phone rather than attempting to intervene.