ROCKVILLE – A three-year campaign to add Montgomery County to the list of growing jurisdictions nationally that ban discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression should soon pay off for Equality Maryland and residents of the County. On October 2nd, testimony will be heard by the Council on an anti-discrimination bill, Bill #23-07, sponsored by Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg (D-At Large) at the request of Equality Maryland. A vote is expected in the weeks following.

"Arbitrary discrimination against transgender individuals is pervasive," says Dr. Dana Beyer, a member of the Equality Maryland Board of Directors, a transgender woman, and aide to Councilmember Trachtenberg. "Transgender individuals may be denied access to social services; refused treatment or ridiculed because of our gender identity by health care professionals; refused service at restaurants or stores; or suffer outright discrimination in employment, in hiring, firing and promotion. Equality Maryland is thrilled that Councilmember Trachtenberg is taking the lead on this important social justice issue."

Equality Maryland has been advocating for transgender equality legislation since 2001, when the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation to prohibit discrimination against individuals on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation but failed to cover the category of gender identity and expression. In 2002, Equality Maryland (then known as Free State Justice) worked with advocates to pass a law unanimously in Baltimore City that was sponsored by then-Mayor Martin O'Malley. In 2007, the organization worked with legislators to introduce bills in the house to address discrimination in housing, employment, lending and public accommodations. The bill failed by one vote in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. Last month, Gov. Martin O'Malley reissued an Executive Order to clarify that transgender-motivated discrimination will not be tolerated in the state hiring process.

"Based on data from the 2000 Census, the total number of people now living in a jurisdiction with a transgender-inclusive anti-discrimination law in the United States is already 104 million," said Councilmember Trachtenberg. "Montgomery County is simply catching up with the times and creating a climate where all people are treated equally and free from discrimination and harm."

The Washington Transgender Needs Assessment survey estimates that 42% of transgender people in the DC Metro Area are unemployed; 31% have incomes of less than $10,000/year; and 19% do not have their own living space. The most common barriers cited by those who lack housing are their economic situation (38%), housing staff insensitivity or hostility to transgender people (29%), estrangement from birth family (27%) and lack of employment (23%).

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Equality Maryland is Maryland's largest LGBT civil rights organization, focused on making life better for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens of Maryland. Equality Maryland works to secure and protect the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Marylanders by promoting legislative initiatives on the state, county and municipal levels and educating the public about the issues faced by our diverse community.