Conservatives Want to Use Our County to Set An Example

The Examiner has tended to be a little conservative for our taste through the sex-ed controversy, less so as the gender identity nondiscrimination bill has been the center of attention. Today's story by Kathleen Miller seems all right to me, what do you think?

Religious conservatives are hoping a referendum on a Montgomery County law protecting transgender people could become a template to repeal similar measures across the country.

Montgomery County Council members unanimously approved a measure last fall that prohibits discrimination against transgender people in housing, employment, public accommodations, and taxicab and cable service. Council members included an exemption for “personal and private” places, but nonetheless drew the ire of local conservatives, who said they feared men would be allowed in women’s bathrooms and locker rooms.

A local group, Citizens for Responsible Government, ran a successful petition drive to get the 25,000 signatures required to put the law on the county’s November ballot for possible recall. MontCo referendum seen as guide to nixing transgender laws in U.S.

It is surprising that they should get this wrong. A judge recently ruled that it was not 25,000 signatures that they needed, but 27,615 -- and they didn't have that many legitimate signatures. He is letting the petitions stand, however, because according to his method of measuring the complaint was filed too late. So, yes, it was a "successful petition drive" to get the wrong number of signatures. An appeal has been filed.

Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for national conservative group Focus on the Family, said his organization is tracking the Montgomery issue.

His Colorado Springs-based group is waging its own battle against a new Colorado transgender rights law, along with other groups. Focus on the Family ran radio and print ads focusing on one thing: bathroom access.

“There’s no strategy, there’s just similar concerns among people in Montgomery County, Maryland, Colorado and Gainesville, Florida, where they’re also facing a referendum on a similar law,” Hausknecht said. “This is precisely what the transgender community ultimately wants: to open up bathrooms, locker rooms across the country.” Transgender rights advocates say the bills are about ensuring no one is denied a meal at a restaurant or an apartment because of gender issues, rather than bathroom access. But they acknowledge what they call a campaign of “fear and misinformation” has been tough to fight, even in liberal strongholds like Montgomery County and Gainesville.

Why would the "transgender community" want to "open up bathrooms, locker rooms across the country?" I mean, why? This kills me. They just make up something like that, they tell you some crazy thing that this tiny population of people supposedly "ultimately wants," out of the blue. And yes, that is hard to fight. People tend to believe other people when they say something. It's hard to realize that these people who claim to have God on their side just make it up. But that's what they do, that's what they're doing here.

“Transgender is still new to a lot of people,” said Chris Edelson, state legislative director for the Human Rights Campaign. “[Opponents] know they are working on a blank slate and if they can write something scary on it, it gets them a long way to accomplishing their goals.”

Since Minnesota outlawed discrimination against transgender people in 1993, 11 other states and the District have followed suit, as did more than 90 cities and counties, Edelson said, adding that no crimes have been linked to the measure.

“As the public becomes far more accepting of gays and lesbians, the religious right is looking for a new way to drive out their support base at election time, and they think this is going to be it,” said Steve Ralls, communications director for Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.

Representatives of the Family Research Council did not return several phone calls. Its Web site, however, showed it is activating prayer networks to kill new laws (“including one in a D.C. suburb”) that ban discrimination against transgender people.

“May God move the Church and morally minded Americans to exercise their citizenship to restore balance before it is too late,” a prayer on the site reads. “May efforts to impose sexual identity confusion upon our children through law fail at the federal, state and local levels.”

Efforts to impose sexual identity confusion. Again, why would anybody want to do that? This only makes sense if the person speaking has doubts about their own sexuality and assumes everybody else does, too. It's not like a little boy is going to be tricked into thinking he's a girl because transgender people were treated fairly.