HR235 Vote March 24th on the Maryland Transgender 'equality' bill without equality

*UPdated March 28th 2011

HR235 has just been voted out of the subcommitte Friday the 25th March 2011. It needs to crossover into the Senate by March 28 (no sessions this weekend which mean a vote on Monday the 28th.) Then go to the Judicial Proceedings Committee for a vote and to the floor of the Senate for a floor vote by the April 11th.

It is also reported that there are some amendments to the bill not yet annotated on the bills official page. It is presumed these changes are going to be added to appease legislators not yet committed and not the Maryland transgender community represented by Transmaryland and Trans-United or local journalists who have voiced loud objections to the removal of public accommodations provisions

Dana LaRocca, a Maryland transgender woman sums it up nicely;

"HB235’s omission of public accommodations is a flaw that will not easily be remedied in the future. All previous anti discrimination bills have included public accommodations protections and that omission in this bill will in the future be seen as a legislative intent to create a second class of citizenship for transgender Marylanders. I understand that it is considered an easier bill to win in its current form. The transgender community is not interested in an easy win. We are interested in justice. By denying equal access to public accommodations HB235 denies the dignity of an entire class of persons."

"Out of respect for the dignity of human persons HB235 must be rejected and we must not consider such legislation until such time that it includes the same protections for transgender persons as the law does for all other classes of citizens. We are all entitled to the same goods inherent in social practice. That is what social justice means."

On behalf of the half dozen Maryland transgender activists who HRC is throwing it multi million dollar corporate might against I ask the people who are entrusted with our freedom please do not pass HB235.




This is so very wrong.

ACLU of Maryland accessory to EQMD oppression of Transgender Community

After numerous unsuccessful attempts at contacting the ACLU of Maryland this facebook post and tweet mentioning their unconscionable support of inequality Maryland got a reaction. I think I finally struck a nerve.

My tweet:

@ACLU_MD supports #eqMD horrific #HB235 despite MD transgender groups opposition http://goo.gl/GKJCy and experience http://wp.me/plmvK-gu

My Facebook post:




ACLU of Maryland responds "Please contact our legislative team with your concerns: curtis@aclu-md.org"

I will Contact Curtis and ask him why the ACLU of Maryland is supporting EQMD despite their self admitted censorship of transgender objections to HB 235. This action by The ACLU of Maryland is contrary to their opinion on freedom of speech.

Statement to House subcommittee, May 2010



I will ask Curtis why the ACLU of Maryland is supporting a bill that the a minority clearly opposes. NOT being the oppressed ACLU of Maryland is not in a position ton dictate to transgender people what their concerns are.

The first paragraphs of the ACLU testimony at the House hearing.

"The ACLU of Maryland strongly supports HB 235 as providing long overdue protection to
Maryland’s transgendered residents. It should receive a favorable report from this committee."

"The state’s current antidiscrimination law prohibits discrimination based upon race, color,religion, sex, age, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or disability, but provides no protection for transgendered individuals, leaving them vulnerable to discrimination in all areas of civic life. The bill closes this loophole."

NO it OPENS a 'loop hole'.

What HB235 does is places the onus on future legislative efforts to show exactly why transgender people should be treated as equal in societies public accommodations when they were clearly denied that right under previous legislation. This legislation is not better than than nothing it is worst than nothing.

EQMD tries to justify HB235 by suggesting the near future social climate in Maryland will be more conducive to passing public accommodations amendment. EQMD crafted the previous exclusionary amendment a decade ago. Why would we believe they would ever come back' for us now that the Marriage issues remains unsolved. This self serving lie only condemns generations of transgender people to generations of servitude and second class citizenship.

The last ditch defense offered by eqMD of this fail is debunked because HB235 does not protect transgender people in homeless shelters


ACLU, get out of bed with equality Maryland. Maryland Transgender people DO NOT want HB235!