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Maryland: A Giant Step
Toward Passage of Civil Rights Laws


Senate Committee Distributes Bill Adding Sexual Orientation

State's Full Senate is Expected to Easily Approve the Measure

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Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening
Compiled by GayToday

Annapolis, Maryland--Maryland appears on its way to becoming the 12th state to ban discrimination against gay and lesbian people after a conservative Senate committee late Tuesday passed out a bill that adds the words "sexual orientation" to the state's existing civil rights law.

The bill, SB 205, will now go before the full Senate, which is expected to easily approve the measure. The House of Delegates, which has passed similar legislation in the past only to see it die in Senate committee, also is expected to approve it. Governor Parris Glendening, who has made passage of the bill a priority, has pledged to sign it. The bill will ban sexual orientation discrimination in the areas of employment, public accommodations, housing, education and health and welfare services.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force supported Maryland Free State Justice's efforts to help secure passage of the bill by issuing action alerts, operating phone banks, attending rallies and writing letters to NGLTF's Maryland members. NGLTF staff also testified at hearings throughout the state in favor of making the bill trans-inclusive. Unfortunately, the bill passed by the Senate committee does not include transgender people.

NGLTF Executive Director Elizabeth Toledo, a Maryland resident, called the committee's action "a tremendous achievement and a great starting point for ending discrimination against the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community in Maryland."

"We must follow up this victory with action," Toledo said. "We applaud the work of Free State Justice and the many activists who have worked tirelessly for years to pass this important legislation. We will continue our efforts to work for a day when no gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender person in Maryland faces discrimination because of who they are."

Free State Justice, along with NGLTF and other groups, plans to continue working to ensure that any amendments offered to the bill on the floor of the Senate or House do not compromise the intent of prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Eleven states plus the District of Columbia currently ban sexual orientation discrimination--Minnesota, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Hawaii, California, New Jersey, Vermont, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Nevada. In addition, Minnesota and the District of Columbia ban discrimination based on gender identity.

Legislators in 21 states this year are considering bills that would create or expand civil rights laws that include sexual orientation. States that are among the most likely to see civil rights legislation approved are Illinois and New York.

Related Stories from the GayToday Archive:

Maryland's Governor Glendening Makes an Emotional Appeal

Maryland Poll Shows Anti-Discrimination Bill's Support

Local Politics—Gay & Lesbian Style—is Coming of Age

Related Sites:
NGLTF's Legislative Update

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