Maryland Court
Rejects Trans Rights Referendum

An anti-discrimination measure for the transgender community will not appear on the November ballot and must go into effect, Maryland's Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday.

The Montgomery County Council unanimously passed the anti-discrimination law in 2007, but the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative legal organization, and Maryland Citizens for Responsible Government collected signatures and challenged the law.

The Maryland Court of Appeals ruling reverses the decision by Circuit Court Judge Robert Greenberg, who had previously ruled that Equality Maryland missed the deadline to challenge the signatures.

Council member Duchy Trachtenberg introduced the legislation partially to honor her legislative aide Dana Beyer, who is transgender.

"Everybody deserves the right to a free life without discrimination," Beyer told the Post after the ruling.

Ruth Jacobs, who led the signature-gathering effort, told the Post that the ruling was a disappointment.

"We've been disenfranchised," she said in the article. "Every single signature was a wish to have an opportunity to have a vote."

Equality Maryland Executive Director Dan Furmansky said the court of appeals decision is a "sign of relief."

"This long overdue, crucial law is all about assuring that unchecked bias is not allowed to inhibit our neighbors' abilities to make a living or rent a home, and as a Montgomery County resident, I breathe a sigh of relief that this campaign to roll back anti-discrimination protections is now over," Furmansky said in a statement.

The council's measure prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, and taxi and cable services. (Kandice Day, The Advocate)