Opponents of a new law to protect transgender people in Montgomery County, Maryland may have collected the 25,000 signatures necessary to put the measure on a November referendum. Citizens for Responsible Government launched a campaign in recent weeks to tell residents about the law, which they incorrectly claim violates things like the restroom privacy of most citizens in order to protect the rights of a few individuals.
The new law, passed unanimously by the County Council in November, protects transgender individuals from discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations, and taxi and cable service. It was supposed to go into effect on Feb 20 in the jurisdiction near Washington, D.C. with a population of almost 1 million. Critics say the law’s language about access to locker rooms and restrooms is vague. Officials counter that it provides adequate exemptions for businesses or other entities to restrict the use
of facilities.
Although Maryland has no state law to protect transgender people, a law was passed in Baltimore, the state’s largest city, in 2002. Around 95 jurisdictions and 13 states in the U.S. have laws protecting transgender people. There is no such federal protection.
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