Equality Maryland, a peaceful protest group, was designated a "security threat" by the Homeland Security and Intelligence Division, which kept files and dossiers on activists as well as their plans to hold rallies outside the State House in Annapolis. The revelations has prompted both the Governor and state lawmakers to begin drafting legislation that would prevent surveillance of nonviolent groups. J. Edgar Hoover must be laughing in his grave.

The Washington Post writes that:

"Equality Maryland, the state's largest gay rights group, was among the peaceful protest groups to be classified as terrorists in a Maryland State Police database.

…Police kept files on Equality Maryland's plans to hold rallies outside the State House in Annapolis to press for legislation reversing the state's ban on same-sex marriage. Police plan to purge the files.

The files were revealed yesterday at a news conference, where a dozen Democratic lawmakers announced plans to introduce legislation to prevent future surveillance of nonviolent groups.

Police would need "reasonable articulated suspicion of actual criminal activity" before they could conduct surveillance, the legislation's sponsors said."

And here's a slide show of your scary gay terrorists wearing polos and Hawaiin leis while getting folks to sign petitions. Scary stuff.