By a vote of 5-6, the Maryland Senate’s Judicial Proceeding Committee shot down SB 449, The Fairness for All Marylanders Act of 2013, which would have banned discrimination based on gender identity and presentation in housing, employment and public accommodation.
“It is terribly disappointing that this committee failed to stand up for fairness and protect transgender Marylanders,” said Equality Maryland‘s Carrie Evans in a statement.
Evans said the group was “particularly incensed” at state Senator Jim Brochin, who voted against the measure. “He had at least 1,000 constituents contact him asking him to support this bill. Despite this, he turned his back on these voters. It ironic that transgender people in his own district have protections yet he wouldn’t cast a vote to extend these protections to individuals in the 20 counties that aren’t so fortunate.”
Equality Maryland, which was instrumental in getting same-sex marriage passed in November, has promised to not give up until trans residents’ rights are protected.
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Cathy
This is good news for anyone with the least bit of concern for the rights of Women. GLBT organizations need to review the definition of gender identity in the bill they push and narrow it to capture the class of people they seek to protect. Otherwise, the bill completely eviscerates protections based on sex.
Thedrdonna
@Cathy: In what way? It adds gender identity to the list of protected classes recognized by the state. It is specifically targeted at people who do not identify as the sex they were assigned at birth. Narrowing it any further would make it useless, since it would not cover trans folk. Are you Cathy Brennan?
vklortho
@Cathy: Rape doesn’t suddenly become legal if the bill passed. If some guy who wasn’t trans and dressed up as a woman to enter the women’s restroom and commit a crime then they would still get in trouble with the law. Not that the stick figure with the dress sign on the door is any sort of magical forcefield protecting against rapists anyways. I do think that concerning public accomodations making it a separate bill that required a letter from a therapist/medical professional/etc stating that person was undergoing transition really wouldn’t be a bad compromise.