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Maryland Poll Shows Anti-Discrimination Bill's Support

Compiled By GayToday

Washington D.C.----Two-thirds of Maryland voters believe discrimination based on sexual orientation should be illegal and support a bill pending before the state Senate that would prohibit it, according to a poll released Tuesday. marylandsurvey.gif - 8.23 K Maryland voters approve of equal rights for gay men and lesbians

The poll, conducted for the Human Rights Campaign by Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, also showed that Maryland voters are twice as likely to vote for a state senator who supports the bill which would ban discrimination in housing, employment and public accomidations.

"Voting for this bill is not only the right thing to do, but it is clearly what the voters want," said Free State Justice Campaign Executive Director Liz Seaton. "If the state senators listen to their constituents, Maryland will become the eleventh state to prohibit discrimination against gay and lesbian Americans."

According to the poll, 76-percent of Maryland residents favor the state Senate passing legislation banning discrimination based on sexual orientation. This legislation has bipartisan support, with 84-percent of Democrats and 73-percent of Republicans saying that if their representative votes to prohibit discrimination, they will be more likely to vote for them or it will not affect their vote

Only 15 percent of voters said they would be less likely to support their representative. "In the absence of federal legislation, momentum will continue to grow for passing nondiscrimination laws at the state level" said HRC Executive Director Elizabeth Birch. "Most Americans believe in fairness and this is why polls consistently show that laws banning discrimination for all citizens have widespread support."

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Related Sites:
Human Rights Campaign
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The Maryland House of Delegates voted 80 to 56 last week in favor of House Bill 315, which prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations based on sexual orientation. The nondiscrimination legislation now faces a tough battle in the state Senate where the measure is before the conservative Judicial Proceedings Committee.

govglendening.jpg - 9.38 K Gov. Glendening The passage of this bill in the state Senate will depend on the continued efforts of Gov. Parris Glendening. His lobbying efforts for House passage included an emotional five minute speech in front of the House of Delegates Judiciary Committee where he spoke of how legal discrimination took its toll on his brother Bruce, a career military service-member, who died of complications from AIDS in 1992.

If the anti-discrimination legislation becomes law, the Maryland Commission on Human Relations will be able to investigate complaints about housing, employment, and public discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The fight to pass a nondiscrimination law in Maryland is led by the Free State Justice Campaign and its Executive Director Liz Seaton. The Human Rights Campaign assisted with a $5,000 grant, mailings to HRC's action network in Maryland, E-mail information alerts and the printing of thousands of action materials for Maryland residents to send to their state representatives in support of passing this legislation.

The Maryland counties of Prince George's, Howard, and Montgomery, already have nondiscrimination ordinances, as does the city of Baltimore. Together, they cover nearly half of all Maryland residents. If Maryland passes a law prohibiting discrimination, it would join Hawaii, California, Vermont, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut.


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