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Per Metro Weekly's Gender Identity Bill Sent Back to Committee and 2012 by Maryland Senate:
The Maryland Senate just sent the Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination Act, House Bill 235, back to the Judicial Proceedings Committee during the bill's second reading, 27-20, killing the bill in this year's legislative session.The development comes two days after supporters of the legislation were relived when the bill passed favorably in the Senate's Judicial Proceedings Committee on April 9, with a 7-4 vote with only one amendment from Sen. Brian Frosh (D-Montgomery), which according to Morgan Meneses-Sheets, executive director of Equality Maryland, was non-substantial.
Frosh's amendment changed the wording of the bill to take out "appearance, expression or behavior" from the list of protections, and instead added "the manifestation of that identity in gender-related appearance, characteristics and mannerisms." The amendment also stated gender identity must be "persistent" and "bona fide." ...
Update 1, 4/11/2011 10:28 PDT: From the Washington Blade's BREAKING: Md. trans bill dead for year:
The Maryland Senate voted 27-20 today to recommit a bill to committee that would bar discrimination based on gender identity in employment, housing and credit, effectively killing it for the year.Full story to come.
Update 1.5, 4/11/2011 1:15 PDT. From the "full story to come," updated part of the same article:
...Of the 20 voting against the motion to send the bill to committee to kill it for the year, 19 were Democrats. Just one Republican, LGBT rights supporter Allan Kittleman, voted no on the motion to send the bill back to committee."Of the ones that voted to recommit, there were at least seven that we felt we had that that had committed to us that they were going to support this and then they back out," said Dana Beyer, a Montgomery County transgender activist and former House of Delegates candidate who worked closely with Equality Maryland to lobby for the bill.
"It's always a guess," said Beyer, when asked why supporters turned against the bill. "It's shocking because we didn't expect this. There are a thousand ways to kill a bill. This is one way to do it, and I have to lay it at the hands of the Senate leadership.
Among those voting to send the measure back to committee was Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller (D-Prince George's and Calvert Counties)...
Update 2, 4/11/2011 11:20 PDT:
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Clik here to view.Text of Yusef Najafi tweet: Update: @DanaBeyerMD tells me 9 Senators backed out of supporting #HB235. @EqualityMD "shocked." http://tinyurl.com/4ylpwhe
[Further updates below the fold.]
Update 3, 4/11/2011 11:27 PDT: From Yusef Najafi's Metro Weekly piece Breakdown of Maryland Senate Vote to Send Gender Identity Bill Back to Committee in 2012
Morgan Meneses-Sheets, executive director of Equality Maryland, said the organization was "shocked and appalled" today, April 11 -- during the last day of Maryland's legislative session -- by the 27 votes in favor of the sending the Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination Act, House Bill 235, back to committee. That move killed the bill this year, and according to Meneses-Sheets raises the question of which supporters backed out of their commitment....Out of the 27 votes to send the bill back to the Senate's Judicial Proceedings Committee in 2012, 16 came from Democrats in the Senate. They were: Senate President Thomas Miller (D-Calvert & Prince George's Counties) and Sens. John C. Astle (D-Anne Arundel), Joanne Claybon Benson (D-Prince George's), Ulysses Currie (D-Prince George's), James E. DeGrange (D-Anne Arundel), Roy Dyson (D-Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's Counties), Edward Kasemeyer (D-Baltimore and Howard), Katherine Klausmeier (D-Baltimore County), James Mathias (D-Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester), Nathaniel McFadden (D-Baltimore City), Thomas Middleton (D-Charles), C. Anthony Muse (D-Prince George's), Douglas Peters (D-Prince George's), James Robey (D-Howard), Norman Stone (D-Baltimore County) and Robert Zirkin (D-Baltimore County).
Update 4, 4/11/2011 12:35 PDT:
From the Equality Maryland press release, entitled Maryland Senators Walk Away From Justice - Send Gender Identity Protections Back To Committee:
MARYLAND SENATORS WALK AWAY FROM JUSTICE - SEND GENDER IDENTITY PROTECTIONS BACK TO COMMITTEE Equality Maryland thanks supporters for the significant progress made in 2011 and vows to keep up the fight for full protections
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Clik here to view.Annapolis, Maryland, April 11, 2011 - Today, led by Sen. DeGrange, the Senate referred House Bill 235, the Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination Act, back to the Judicial Proceedings Committee by a vote of 27-20, effectively ending efforts to pass vital protections in housing, employment, and credit for transgender Marylanders.
Senators Kasemeyer (D-12), Klausmeier (D-8), McFadden (D-45), Middleton (D-28), Robey (D-13) and Zirkin (D-11) were expected to support ending discrimination based on gender identity in housing, employment, and credit, but voted instead to recommit the anti-discrimination bill.
Equality Maryland's Executive Director, Morgan Meneses-Sheets:
Six Senators who committed to support HB 235 took a walk on justice and fairness today and turned their backs on the most vulnerable members of our community. We are appalled that lawmakers continue to play politics with much needed protections for the transgender community.We must not forget all the positive strides we accomplish as a community this year overcoming significant hurdles, including getting this legislation out of the Senate Rules Committee. Supporters of this critical legislation made hundreds of phone calls and sent thousands of emails to their legislators. Countless members of the transgender community shared their very personal stories of discrimination. We are grateful to them for their courage and to every supporter who made their voice heard on this important bill.
Equality Maryland remains committed to fighting against discrimination and injustice targeting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community at every turn. Progress takes time. Today's result was not fair or right, but we will keep up the fight to make the Free State truly free.
### Equality Maryland is Maryland's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights group, with thousands of members across the entire state. Equality Maryland includes: a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization that lobbies in Annapolis and across the state to create equal protection under the law for LGBT Marylanders and their families; a 501(c)(3) educational foundation that works to eliminate prejudice and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity through outreach, education, research, community organizing, training and coalition building; and Equality Maryland PAC, which exists to influence elections. For more information, visit www.EqualityMaryland.org.
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