The Maryland Court of Appeals has ruled that the Baltimore Science Fiction Society qualifies for tax-exempt status as an educational institution promoting the general welfare of the people of the state.  As a result, the society’s headquarters is exempt from property taxes.  According to press reports:

A lower court "had been hostile to the concept of science fiction, viewing the society more as a hobby club where much of the interaction between members and the public was of a social nature."  The chairman of the society’s board of directors said the ruling marked a a victory both for the society, and for the genre of science fiction as it struggles to seek a place at the high table of literature. "It does vindicate the validity of science fiction literature as, indeed, literature."