Legislators creating legislation that provides only a smidgen of the rights and liberties that other American Citizens enjoy are not “Creating Equality” but “Perpetuating Inequality”.

Legislators seeem to relinquish the job of acting in the interest of All citizens and within the bounds of the US Constitution. There is only the accountability of the vote.

After all, Maryland’s been a “discrimination-free zone” for a decade now.

Because of such a flawed approach and because the provisions were removed by professed allies to the transgender community, it is the stance of TransMaryland to not support our continued discrimination and we reject non transgender persons seeking to act on our behalf.

HB235 creates yet a further inequity in the State of Maryland by setting up Baltimore City and Montgomery County, 25% of the states population base, as the only public area where transgender Marylanders can enjoy complete freedom from oppression and discrimination. In the words of Glendora Hughes Maryland’s General Counsel at the Maryland Commission on Human Relations,

“Yes, Baltimore City and Montgomery County covers gender identity. So now we have an inequity in the State of Maryland. Based on your geography, where you live will determine whether you have protection against being discriminated against.”

HB 235 only perpetuates this inequity.

We continue to urge lawmakers to support Senator’s Rich Madaleno’s public statement on HB235:

“I have been the lead sponsor or lead cosponsor of the Gender Identity Antidiscrimination Act for the past four years. In advance of the 2011 Session, I had a bill drafted that is identical to the bill I had introduced previously. This draft prohibited discrimination based on gender identity in employment, housing, and public accommodations. However, our advocacy coalition asked me to not introduce the bill, preferring a strategy of pursuing a House bill alone. This approach has not diminished my commitment to enacting these much needed protections, and I urge the House of Delegates to pass HB 235, with an amendment that prohibits discrimination against transgender individuals regarding public accommodations.

Providing transgender individuals with basic protections against discrimination is long overdue. Although much of the media attention this legislative session has centered on marriage equality, we cannot let that debate overshadow efforts to enact these essential protections. Protection against discrimination, including gender identity discrimination, is a basic human right. Our state laws must reflect the values of equality and equal opportunity – values that are central to who we are as Americans.

Now is the time for Maryland to join thirteen other states, Washington, D.C., Montgomery County, and Baltimore City in protecting individuals from discrimination on the basis of gender identity. In 2007, Governor O’Malley signed an executive order adding protections against discrimination to our state personnel policies. We now must pass a statewide law that protects transgender individuals from discrimination when seeking employment, housing, and public accommodations.”

We support nothing less.

Jenna Fischetti
TransMaryland.org

And why the personal attacks? Are we that twisted that we look to behead our allies instead of focusing on the real enemies and opponents? So counter-productive. Have you, Kat, dedicated your professional life and worked like a dog 60-hr weeks to get a transgender rights bill passed in MD? Answer: No. If you can’t determine your friends from your enemies and seek to put all your energy into taking down your friends instead of your enemies, this is going to be a long and ugly road.

Instead of complaining incessantly about Equality Maryland, why don’t you get out and organize and make public accommodations happen since you think it is so easy? You certainly are happy to rely on an organization who you think is so ineffective and evil.

Reality check: Equality Maryland is funded by gay people who want marriage rights. Those people refuse to give money, Equality Maryland ceases to exist.

Hey “staff,” how about a little analysis?

You’re uncritically accepting Pena-Melnyk’s claim that making the bill into a Barney ‘penis panic’ Frank / ‘not my shower’ people bill was the only way it would pass – yet you began the piece by noting that it passed by a huge margin.

While it is mathematically possible that there were *that* many votes that would have swung the other way with the inclusion of public accommodations, wouldn’t it be a sign of journalistic integrity to show some indication that you made some effort to investigate whether the Pena-Melnyk/’Equality’ Maryland claims about dropping public accommodations being a necessity were based on facts or on Morgan Meneses-Sheets’ resume’s desire to make sure that one bill that she and ‘Equality’ Maryland can claim is pro-LGBT (even though HB 235 is anything but pro-trans) passes in 2011?