5/9/2014 Maryland lawmaker seeks referendum on trans rights bill

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Del. Neil Parrott (R-Hagerstown) (Photo public domain)

A Maryland lawmaker on Tuesday announced he plans to collect signatures to prompt a

referendum on a bill that would ban anti-transgender discrimination in the state.

State Del. Neil Parrott (R-Washington County) made the announcement on

MDPetitions.com, a website that he runs. The Washington County Republican describes

Senate Bill 212 or the Fairness for All Marylanders Act as the “Bathroom Bill.”

“As a parent, you should be able to send your children, your little girl, into the women’s

bathroom and have the expectation that there will only be women or girls in that

bathroom,” said Parrott during an Annapolis press conference. “Now, under this bill,

there could be men in the women’s bathroom, and it opens the door for predators to

take advantage of this bill. Predators will be able to go into the opposite gender

bathroom, and proprietors would not be able to deny them access to that bathroom.”

Parrott is among the Republicans who unsuccessfully sought to delay the final vote on SB

212 in the Maryland House of Delegates late last month before lawmakers approved it by

a 82-57 vote margin.

House Minority Whip Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore and Harford Counties) joined the

Washington County Republican at the Annapolis press conference.

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5/9/2014 Maryland lawmaker seeks referendum on trans rights bill

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DANA BEYER EQUALITY MARYLAND GENDER RIGHTS MARYLAND KATHY SZELIGA KEITH THIRION

MARTIN O'MALLEY MARYLAND MDPETITIONS.COM NEIL PARROTT NINA SMITH

RICH MADALENO SENATE BILL 212 TRANSGENDER

“Please protect women,” she said before voting against SB 212. “Please protect little girls.”

The state Senate on March 4 approved the

measure that state Sen. Rich Madaleno (D-

Montgomery County) introduced earlier

this year.

“Delegate Parrott will have an uphill battle

to convince voters to repeal fairness for all

Marylanders,” said Equality Maryland

Director of Advocacy and Programs Keith

Thirion, noting a recent poll showed 71

percent of Marylanders support SB 212.

“The majority of Marylanders believe that

everyone should be treated fairly,

including having the opportunity to work

for a living, secure housing and get served lunch at a restaurant.”

Gender Rights Maryland Executive Director Dana Beyer noted SB 212 “enjoys broad

support across the political spectrum in Maryland.”

“The petition drive by Del. Parrott simply shows the desperation of a small group of right-

wing zealots seeking to perpetuate old stereotypes,” she said.

“I am extremely disappointed that a small group of conservative activists launched a

misguided and deceptive petition drive against including anti-discrimination protections

for transgender Marylanders and their families in our civil rights law,” added Madaleno

in a statement.

Nina Smith, a spokesperson for Gov. Martin O’Malley, reiterated to the Blade the

governor’s support of SB 212.

“Governor O’Malley has a long track record of fighting injustice and protecting the rights

of everyone equally under the law,” she said. “He fully intends to sign this bill.”

O’Malley is expected to sign SB 212 into law in the coming weeks.

Parrott needs to collect a third of the 55,737 signatures necessary to prompt a

referendum on SB 212 by May 31. The remainder of them are due to state election

officials by June 30 in order for the measure to appear on the November ballot.

Opponents of Maryland’s same-sex marriage law that O’Malley signed in 2012 collected

enough signatures to prompt a referendum on the issue. Voters approved the statute by

a 52-48 percent margin.

Parrott is among those who attended a Frederick rally in opposition to the same-sex

marriage law that took place two days before the election. A local pastor said during the

event that Superstorm Sandy struck New York City a few days earlier because then-

Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave $250,000 to the campaign that successfully defended the

statute.

[Translate]

Michael K. LaversMichael K. Lavers has been a staff writer for the Washington Blade since

May 2012. The passage of Maryland's same-sex marriage law, the

HIV/AIDS epidemic, the burgeoning LGBT rights movement in Latin

America and the consecration of gay New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene

Robinson are among the many stories he has covered since his career

began in 2002. Follow Michael

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5/9/2014 Maryland lawmaker seeks referendum on trans rights bill

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Jenna Fischetti April 29, 2014 at 10:35 pm

The Fairness for All Marylanders Act is a new state law that updates Maryland’s

existing Civil Rights Law.

Maryland currently prohibits discrimination on the basis of several protected

classifications. These are personal characteristics that most people agree should

not be relevant to whether a person is allowed to have a job, eat at a restaurant,

rent an apartment, or qualify for a credit card.

The Fairness for All Marylanders Act simply adds “gender identity” to that list of

protected classifications.

The definition of gender identity for this Act was proposed by the Republicans in

Annapolis, and is consistent with the definition adopted by 17 others states.

And it works; We’ve had these protections in several jurisdictions our state since

2002 without any of the ill effects claimed by those opposed.

http://goo.gl/OWAbD3

If you have questions about what this bill does, get the facts about the Fairness for

All Marylanders Act by visiting

http://www.FairnessFacts.com

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