The Examiner on Threats

There has been some "discussion" in our comments section about the threatening mail that was sent to Montgomery County County Council people over the gender identity nondiscrimination bill. I put that in quotes because basically it's one anonymous troll trying to act like we're making it all up. Whatever, The Examiner had a pretty good story about the matter, and they included some facts that might help us understand the situation.

A Montgomery County Council member who authored a bill that outlaws discrimination against transgendered people says she has been receiving death threats at her home and office and wants the county to provide additional security for her and her transgendered senior aide.

Officials in Council Member Duchy Trachtenberg’s office provided copies of multiple menacing and sexually explicit letters that she said were sent to her home and office through regular mail.

“Put an end to Bill 2307 or else you will not live that long,” a photocopy of one signed letter provided by Trachtenberg reads. Bill 2307 amends county laws to add gender identity discrimination to the lists of potential types of prejudice, but opponents have said they fear it will allow men access to women’s bathrooms.

A police spokesman said they have been notified about the alleged threats and are “taking appropriate measures.” Councilor getting death threats over bill to protect transgenders [Note: that link doesn't really work for me, but that's what I have]

Somebody might want to argue about the definition of hate mail, or whether this or that is a threat, but mail that tells somebody they will not live long is grounds for concern.

We know we are dealing with some nuts here, and I really hope one of them doesn't decide to be a martyr and do something. For one thing, any act of violence will generate a backlash in this county they will never recover from.

A conservative social group called “Citizens for a Responsible Government” recently turned in more than 30,000 signatures to allow voters to decide whether to repeal the measure on next November’s ballot. The group’s spokeswoman, Michelle Turner, told The Examiner her organization had nothing to do with any threats.

“It’s unfortunate that someone or some group of people has decided to take this route to express their frustration over this bill,” Turner said. “It’s certainly not anything that we would advocate.” In a letter to county officials, Trachtenberg claims she has received deaths threats over her home phone as well and that one of her senior staff members who is a transgendered woman, Dr. Dana Beyer, has also been targeted for “harassment.”

Ah, good, the Citizens for a Responsible Whatever do not advocate killing elected officials who sponsor bills they disagree with. See? It proves they are not extremists, like everybody says.

And hey, just a minute, I thought Ruth Jacobs was the President of that group, how come reporters aren't calling her for this information?

“I arrive and leave the [Council Office Building] each day with a dreaded feeling that this indeed may be the day that extremists act on their hatred and bigotry,” Trachtenberg wrote.

Trachtenberg asked the county to provide both her and Beyer with escorts when they enter and leave the office building, to regularly inspect building security cameras, to staff all public events with security and to require individuals to sign in with security when entering the County Council building. Council staff director Steve Farber said the county already provides security escorts to anybody who requests them, has police at public meetings and reviews security cameras.

Requiring people to sign in when they enter the council’s building would be a change in policy, according to Farber, that would need to be approved by the council.

“They would have to determine the value in doing that versus concerns about openness in government,” Farber said.

The thing is, this is a law that prevents discrimination against one tenth of one percent of the population, a group of people who really do get hassled and really do deserve to be treated like everybody else. Nobody's life is going to change, except perhaps for those few transgender people out there, who will be a little more sure they can get a job and keep it, get served in a restaurant, catch a taxi. Why is this, of all things, worth getting violent about?