Despite very little fanfare, the Gender Indentity Anti-Discrimination Act of 2011 was formally introduced in the Maryland House of Delegates by Del. Joseline Pena-Melnyk and Del. Ariana Kelly. A hearing in the House Government & Operations Committee is slated for February 14,2011.
You may locate your elected officials here and offer them this request:
You may locate your elected officials here and offer them this request:
SUBJECT: Support FULL equality for Transgender Marylanders
My name is [YOUR FULL NAME] and I live in your district at [ENTER YOUR ADDRESS].
I am writing to urge you to vote for A Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination Act which protects Transgender Marylanders are the SAME level as Race, Color, Religion, Sex, Age, Disability, Marital Status, Sexual Orientation, or National Origin by INCLUDING PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS. This bill is important to me because I believe that ALL Marylanders deserve protections and respect, regardless of their gender identity.
Only by passing a FULLY protective GIADA can Maryland truly be called the Free State, where everyone is treated equally.
Thank you!
I am writing to urge you to vote for A Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination Act which protects Transgender Marylanders are the SAME level as Race, Color, Religion, Sex, Age, Disability, Marital Status, Sexual Orientation, or National Origin by INCLUDING PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS. This bill is important to me because I believe that ALL Marylanders deserve protections and respect, regardless of their gender identity.
Only by passing a FULLY protective GIADA can Maryland truly be called the Free State, where everyone is treated equally.
Thank you!
We applaud the efforts of legislators and LBGT organizations who wish to promote a FULL GIANA in 2011.
Thank you for your political courage!!
Sad to say this bill does not provide a law where, as you say “where everyone is treated equally.”
ReplyDeleteUnlike the bill offered for the past four years this bill excludes public accommodations, it includes only employment, housing, and credit. This is not equal treatment under the law. This is second class citizenship. It is the moral equivalent of what would have been if the Civil Right Act of 1964 had left restaurants, the restrooms, and the lunch counters segregated.
Gay Inc of MD has refused to be completely supportive on this piece of legislation. Instead, they are taking the piecemeal approach. The "We can come back for it" idea which has been proven to never work. See the New York State Law enacted in 1993. 18 years later, NO Gender Identity protection.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, Gay Inc of MD ask you to write your legislators and their language asks for support of same sex marriage in addition to. Their move is to get same sex marriage passed at any cost and they can care less about GIADA.
It's up to you and I and anyone else wishing to make a difference to make that point heard. Each of my representatives had at least staff reply back to me thanking my and pledging their support on both issues or how long standing their record is on sexual orientation protections.
ReplyDeleteI replied to each that what I'm asking for has nothing to do with sexual orientation, yet gender identity. They are unaware as are their staff members.