WomensNews.org – By Shanelle Matthews – WeNews correspondent
A county ordinance in Maryland that protects transgender rights is facing a public referendum challenge in November. One transgender advocate says it looks like a test case for national opposition to the antidiscrimination push.
(WomensNews) – A new county ordinance in Maryland makes Elizabeth Hampton Brown worry about the opposition to transgender rights that might be lurking on the national level.
“It looks like Montgomery County in particular is a test case for the radical right,” says Brown, director of policies and programs for Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays in Washington, D.C. “Although this gives opportunity for education it brings people from out of state into a small area to question the will of the people in that area. This will definitely have an impact on gender identity legislation in other states. We are worried that this will be a trend across the country.”