BALTIMORE — C.O.M.M.A.N.D. MC of Maryland announced last week they would be changing the name of their club to adapt to changing community demographics.
In an announcement on their Facebook group, the club said the acronym C.O.M.M.A.N.D. would now stand for Corps of Marylanders Making A Noticeable Difference. Previously, it had been “Corps of Men.”
“We see the decision to change our name not as a deviation from but rather an affirmation of our founding principles,” the club said in the announcement. “It marks the continuing evolution of the club as a group of people driven to learn how to better listen and amplify the voices of those that have been excluded and oppressed. In making a noticeable difference, we must also make the effort to notice those who are different and give them our support.”
The club’s membership and associate membership had already been open to women, trans, intersex, non-binary, and gender non-conforming members. The club’s active membership voted to change the name to show a commitment of support for those members.
“To make a noticeable difference we must continue to affirm, accept, support, and stand in solidarity with all marginalized peoples,” the club said. “In a climate where so many members of our community are oppressed by the Trump administration’s bigotry and ignorance (amongst other things), we are heeding the command to make our club a safe, inclusive, and affirming place for the most vulnerable amongst us. In part, this calls on us to educate ourselves on how better to fight for their (and by extension our own further) freedom and in light of that to reexamine ourselves to ensure our rules, practices, customs, procedures are working toward this imperative.”
The club will celebrate it’s 30th anniversary this November.
