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With the start of a new legislative session in Maryland right around the corner, this report from Sharon Brackett, Board Chair for Gender Rights Maryland, is welcome news indeed:
Last evening I had a brief moment to chat with Governor O’Malley just after he had finished a rare and wonderful performance with his band O’Malley’s March in Annapolis. I asked him about the upcoming Gender Identity legislation and he stated clearly “The gender identity bill is a legislative priority!” I could not be more encouraged to hear this.
Gov. O’Malley’s statement is a natural follow-on to the powerful call to action he issued in May, 2011 in the wake of the brutal attack on Chrissy Lee Polis, a trans woman, in a McDonalds in Rosedale, Maryland.
[M]ore must be done to protect the rights and dignity of transgendered people. In the struggle for justice and equality for all, I’m committed to working with the Maryland General Assembly during the next legislative session to increase awareness and provide even greater protections for transgendered people.
Gender Rights Maryland was awarded “Best New Organization” of 2011 by Baltimore Outloud editor Steve Charing, who said of GMRD, “it’s motivated, mobilized and already has a victory to tout”. That victory was the passage of gender identity and expression anti-discrimination legislation in Howard County, Maryland earlier this month.
The outlook looks bright for passage in 2012 of a statewide law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression. With Howard County joining Montgomery County and Baltimore City as Maryland jurisdictions supporting gender rights, with a vibrant and effective new organization on the scene dedicated to passing comprehensive statewide legislation, and with Governor O’Malley’s continuing commitment, momentum is on the side of civil rights.
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Can’t seem to make a comment last thread emptied cache still can’t comment lets see if i can comment here.
Still can’t comment last thread down FDL you have a gremlin please move my comment to the thread below.
In the EU, for instance, 150 million workdays are lost each year due to work accidents, and the insurance costs to be borne by industry add up to 20 billion. And American businesses spend US$170.9 billion a year on costs associated with occupational injuries and illnesses.
http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/press-and-media-centre/insight/WCMS_075615/lang–en/index.htm
My bold The EU has tons more worker safety regulations than America does Obama and the GOP both call Government regulation job killers. So lets look at the math $20 billion vs 170.9 billion for an as of 2010 EU population of about 501.26 million people. America in contrast has 311 million people, but we have over 8 times the cost of workplace safety injuries? WTF!!!
http://my.firedoglake.com/thingscomeundone/2011/11/02/question-all-assumptions-2/
How much local airplay did this story get whats the popular reaction? I am wondering how much airplay any Lefty Story needs before we get a quick reaction from the government?
We need to know how bad a story has to be and how much MSM coverage it takes to get a response from government.
Also how much and how long does it take for Lefty blogs to cover a story before the MSM will cover a story?
We do tend to over generalize and call the South unenlightened I would not have expected Maryland to do this is Maryland not as unenlightened as the rest of the South?
http://pamshouseblend.firedoglake.com/2011/04/24/violence-at-a-baltimore-mcdonalds-shows-a-bathroom-bill-meme-can-have-more-than-one-meaning/
You should always mention details especially emotional details when you write.
Chrissy Lee Polis’s story got a lot of local media coverage and it was very supportive. Her attack came on the heels of the MD legislature failing to pass an anti-discrimination bill, so timing may have increased public notice and interest in the issue, although it was such a horrible attack that my guess is it would have gotten noticed on matter what.
Question did any McD’s manager call the police?
Interesting the attack was horrible and the timing was perfect politically and for the media because the bill just failed. Thats information we need to know if we want to effect change in other areas.
Obviously such quick action was driven by political timing, the horrible attack, the fact it was caught on video the even worse fact nobody did anything to stop it.
But lets not forget the code of Suburban Republicans don’t do anything that could lower local housing prices. And never embarrass a Suburban Republican in public anti Gay, anti racial stuff is fine in private but in public its sooo unfashionable.
To effect change we must identify pressure points.
Mods any word on the gremlin not letting me comment downthread this is not the first time this has happened.
Happy news
and Happy New Year, Blenders!
Technically, Maryland is a border state, not a southern one.
It’s very different than say, Virginia. It’s extremely blue (although in a bad way), so I would be careful in lumping it in with the rest of the south.
The panhandle of the state is a clusterfuck though, but I guess that’s par for the course for the panhandles of most states. Besides, no one lives out there anyway.
Due to its hopelessly centrist past & present, it usually doesn’t come out in front on issues like this. I hope there is more of this on other issues.