Maryland to Vote
to Remove Trans Protections

Conservatives in Maryland are hoping a referendum will pass that intends to reverse a Montgomery County law protecting transgender people from discrimination.

Montgomery County council members unanimously approved a measure last fall that prohibits discrimination against transgender people in housing, employment, public accommodations, and other public services.

In response, Citizens for Responsible Government, a local organization, successfully collected over 25,000 signatures to put a referendum on the county's November ballot to repeal the law.

Bruce Hausknecht, a judicial analyst for the national conservative group Focus on the Family, said his organization is tracking the Montgomery County situation as well as other areas with similar laws facing referenda.

"There's no strategy, there's just similar concerns among people in Montgomery County, Maryland, Colorado, and Gainesville, Fla.," Hausknecht said to The Baltimore Examiner. "This is precisely what the transgender community ultimately wants: to open up bathrooms, locker rooms across the country."

Transgender rights advocates say the bills are about ensuring equal rights and civil liberties, not bathroom access.

According to The Washington Post, the legal situation has attracted attention from gay rights groups like Lambda Legal and Equality Maryland, which have focused on ensuring that transgender citizens are protected under the law. (The Advocate)