Baltimore County MD Trans Rights Bill Scheduled For Monday Vote

There was another contentious hearing held about the proposed Baltimore County MD trans rights bill in which once again, the only thing the Forces of Intolerance could hurl at it in a desperate attempt to stop its passage was the Bathroom Meme. 

One of their attack lines was already throughly debunked at the January hearing, but that didn't stop the haters from trying to 'scurr' people about transpeople in their bathrooms and lighting up the switchboard.to attempt to sway the Baltimore County Council into voting against Bill 3-12

The bill would add gender identity to existing county laws that prohibit discrimination in housing, workplaces, and public places, but due to the Hateraid an amendment is being considered that if passed would ensure 3-12 wouldn't apply to public places "that are designated for male or female use, such as restrooms, bath houses, locker rooms, dressing rooms, changing rooms, and similar facilities."

In other words, it would leave a gigantic fracking public accommodations loophole in it   

Here's where you get to fight back against the haters and help our transbrothers and trans sisters in Maryland. . 

Moving on to the haters.  We've been reliving ourselves in the gender appropriate restrooms and doing so without incident to you cispeople since Christine Jorgenson stepped off the plane from Denmark 59 years ago this month.  

It's y'all cis people attacking us  and you foaming at the mouth cisgender transbigots we transfolks have to worry about.

I'm Not Shocked About The Maryland Trans Rights Bill Being Sidelined For Gay Marriage

Why am I not surprised that Maryland is rapidly turning into a replay of New York 2011 in terms of a gay marriage bill and trans rights bill both up in same session, and the trans rights bill (SB 212) that is urgently needed and will benefit far more people is kicked to the curb while the gay marriage bill is advancing toward possible passage?

And the reason excuse for this situation happening in Maryland?  According to Maryland Senate President Mike Miller, 'he only has time for one gay bill this session'.   

Umm hmm. What, he doesn't have the ability to advance more than one GLBT oriented bill at the same time in his chamber?

And meanwhile, back on the GL(bt) Ranch, we have Kat coming under increasing attack by a group of gay male bloggers for telling it like it T-I-S is about the jacked up situation.  

As she said in this post, GL people demanding that transpeople forget about past legislative screwings by Gay, Inc is transphobia. 

I'll take that statement a step further. It's transphobia dipped in the scent of arrogant vanillacentric cis privilege.

So count on the GL community to ignore their Dallas Principles in their feeding frenzy to get gay marriage passed in that state.   Once it passes they'll loudly proclaim their victory, raise their appletinis in celebration while Maryland's transpeeps get screwed once again like they did in 2001 and 2011 while waiting for legislative redress of their grievances.  

An Opposition Big Lie Exposed In Baltimore County, MD

The Baltimore County Council is considering a trans human rights law that once again, the opponents are trying to use the odious bathroom meme to kill  

Bill 3-12 was introduced to a packed chamber and if passed would protect transpeople in the workplace, house and all together people, public accommodations

Back on December 6 the Howard County MD Council passed on a 4-1 vote trans human rights legislation that prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and expression in the areas of employment, housing, public accommodations, financing, and health and social services. 

They were the third jurisdiction in the state of Maryland to do so after Baltimore City and Montgomery County.

Supporters of the proposed legislation along with the haters showed up in Towson, the county seat. The Forces of Intolerance were represented by Dr. Ruth Jacobs, the head of the Maryland Citizens Bigots For A Responsible Government and Derek McCoy of the Association of (Bigoted) Maryland Families to pimp their usual transphobic lies and fearmongering

Transphobia alert:

JACOBS: It opens up the bathrooms to men who may be just cross-dressers, who may be a pedophile who uses the law to nefarious advantage. It’s a very dangerous bill. In this law, you’re afraid to complain because [you think] Oh my goodness — maybe I’ll be considered a bigot. But, of course it could be somebody who’s trying to rape me.
This takes away from a woman being a woman. Somebody else is just like you. These people are confused about their gender.

The bill is a direct attack on women’s privacy.

MCCOY: When you look at this bill, the terrible thing about it is you’re talking about allowing someone who self-identifies (as a man or a woman) — meaning I can get up any given day of the week, especially if I have inclinations that are not right, like being a pedophile or a sexual deviant — and putting in harm’s way children who are using public facilities. They can be taken, they can be molested. We need to be on our guard and understand what’s at stake.

***

What's at stake Derek, Ruth and all you other assorted haters are trans human rights with public accommodations coverage.  The Chrissy Polis case demonstrably exposed the need for them.along with the Injustice at Every Turn Report.

And speaking of exposed, one of the lies the opponents told was busted

The transphobes alleged that since the Montgomery County, MD trans rights law was passed in 2007 there have been four rapes committed by crossdressed men lying in wait for their victims in ladies restrooms.

Montgomery County Chief of Police J. Thomas Manger sent a letter to Baltimore County Councilmember Tom Quirk, the sponsor of the proposed legislation stating that since the November 13, 2007 passage of the law there have been ZERO sexual assaults of the kind they allege.  

Next hearing is scheduled for February 14 with a vote scheduled on February 21.  Let's hope trans residents of Baltimore County get to feel the love next month from the County Council and get the human rights coverage they desperately need. 
  .

Po-Po's Mess With Chrissy Polis

As if Chrissy Polis didn't have a bad enough year back in April during the transphobic attack at a local McDonald's that injured her and sent Teonna Brown to jail, she's back in the news again after a run in with the local cops on Saturday that resulted in her arrest.

The 23 year old Polis called the police to report a robbery in which she was struck from behind by a man wearing a black and white hooded sweatshirt, tore her purse off that contained her cell phone and $800 and ran from the scene

According to the police report Polis gave various accounts of the events surrounding the robbery and became very agitated with police as officers attempted to interview her. After police told Polis they would take a report and continue to investigate the incident, she became enraged and shouted obscenities at officers,
.
After warnings to lower her voice, Polis, whom police claim was causing a disturbance in the neighborhood, was arrested. She was charged with one count of disorderly conduct and was released after posting $7,500 bond.

Note this is the po-po's version of the story and we have yet to hear Chrissy's side of it.  The truth of what happened will probably be somewhere in the middle.

And unfortunately Chrissy learned something the hard way we trans women of color learned a long time ago. 'Officer Friendly' ain't so friendly to marginalized people

But once again it points out the problems that transpeople have simply interacting with police who tend to be in police forces that are a conservative, predominately monoracial, right wing, militaristic world and have to protect and serve citizens in a world that is far more diverse.and complex.

Teonna Brown To Be Sentenced For Maryland McBeatdown

19 year old Teonna Monae Brown will face Judge John Turnbull II today and learn her legal fate after she and a juvenile executed a horrific April 18 beatdown of transwoman Chrissy Lee Polis in a Rosedale, MD McDonalds.

The videotaped attack went viral on YouTube and has served as a rallying point for local Maryland and national trans activists to talk about anti-trans violence.  It also exposed how much race is in play as one of the dynamics in the trans community.

The case gave African American trans activists an opportunity to point out to our people that the disrespecting of transpeople and trans human rights needed to cease and desist and how much visceral hatred, discrimination and violence transpeople of all ethnic backgrounds are subjected to..

Brown was charged on May 16 and plead guilty in Baltimore County Circuit Court on August 4 to one count of first-degree assault and one hate crime count.  The juvenile in the attack was sentenced June 1 and is already serving time in a youth facility

Prosecutors are seeking a ten year sentence for Brown with five years suspended.

As I said in a earlier post, I hope Judge Turnbull adds to the juvenile and Brown's sentence the requirement that once she completes her jail time, both are sentenced to do a specified number of hours with a Baltimore area group that does community service working on behalf of transpeople and be required to attend a local Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremony as well..    

But I hope the bigger message that is sent is hat society will no longer tolerate attacks of any kind on transpeople