Now the liberal government wants to force employers ti hire mentally disbaled people. So now, any wacko male can put on a dress and be guaranteed a job.

Oh yes, those EVUL libruls who want to prohibit unjust discrimination! UnTHINKable!! Man, guess we gotta get rid of the Civil Rights Act, since it's a librul commie fascist muslim feminist atheist black mexican plot, eh?

Next Maryland businesses won't be able to fire anyone for doing a bad job. Obviously that's discriminatory, because the employer discriminates a bad job from a good job. Can't have that.

This is the state government business model: fire no one in hard times, hire as much as you can in good times.

@Tyler...You may want to read the Civil Rights Act before you make comments like this one. Nowhere does it say one thing about the LBGT community. I for one think that being gay or whatever is not a civil rights issue but a personnal issue. Do I think descrimination of people with an alterative lifestyle should be ok? Not at all, all I am saying is that it is not a civil rights issue. But don't you think that Maryland has a lot of bigger issues to try and handle before this ? I was born and raised in Bmore and I for one am happy that I decided to get out of there before it got really bad. Seems like they all are hell bent on becoming the San Fransisco of the east coast.

Can anyone give an estimate as to the number of Transgendered people in this State to justify the Legislature even taking this up? What's next? A law against housing discrimination against cross eyed red haired people? You can't make it up.

This is all a part of the radical homopromo lobby and their radical agenda to get to our children before the parents can. They know they need to get to our children, just like Hitler did.

Next will be teaching our captured kids all about their new freak teachers who don't like the way they were made. It will be FORCED that these kids must respect these genetic defective people. It is a terrible bill that must not see the light of day.

This Thomas V. Mike Miller sounds like a real nut job to me the more I hear about him...And why does he have like five names, anyway?

@ more to come.....Hitler? Really? By giving people a fair chance its the same as Hitler...youre prolly the same person that worships a fictional character every sunday and hide behind those false pretenses. You prolly support not legalizing marjiuna when it is less addictive & harmful then the wine you serve to THE CHILDREN every sunday. Give me a break, you prolly support the speed cameras on buses and street lights, which is the ultimate form of facism. You're prolly ok with private companies running our jails. I love people like you who have no idea what your talking about, just threatened that someone else might get a piece of your pie and enjoy a good life like you have. You cant preach freedoms and then set limitations on it.

@Mike - Wow - you've pretty much turned the tables 180 degrees there, pally. If people don't agree with YOUR philosophies they're facists. I guess we can call you a far-left-wing egalirtarian nutjob who wants to destroy the moral fabric of America.

Any employer has the absolute right to protect THEIR business. This measn they have the absolute RIGHT to tell you what you are wearing is disruptive to their work environment! If a man wants to dress like a woman..vice versa.. a woman like a slut... and the employer deems it disruptive to their workforce, they have the right to tell that violator... we have a dress code.. you are in violation .. go home and change or you will be FIRED!

@Mike Calo- FIRST of all, the fact that you're calling someone that wants LESS government involvement a left-winger is hysterical. Do you know anything about our party system here in the US? Second- our "moral fabric"? Where does this moral fabric come from? Is it moral for one group of people to limit the rights of another group of people simply because they're different from them? Amazing rationale you have there, pally.

FACT: The Nazis gathered up and killed the gays, and any other minority group they could demonize.

FACT: There is no homopromo lobby and lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders are NOT trying to steal your children.

FACT: Civil rights are rights conferred by law.

But I do want to thank the bigots and assorted nut jobs for showing their profound ignorance of history, politics, and this legislation. The proof is in their writings.

HomoPromo groups that freaks say do not exist.
The Human Rights Campaign
The NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby
Freedom to Marry Coalition Supports gay marriages
Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Veterans Association
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
Human Rights Campaign
Independent Gay Forum Libertarians and conservatives
Log Cabin Republicans
National Gay & Lesbian Task Force
National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association
Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays
Planet Out: NewsPlanet
Queer Resources Directory
Turn Out!

You were warned that homo marriage was just the beginning.

Poe's Law in its purest form:

Without an indication of the author's intent, it is impossible to tell the difference between sincere extremism and a parody of extremism.

I can't stop cracking up at reading 'homopromo.'

You *do* know that the "homos" you're so afraid of already have employment rights in Maryland? Have had for over 10 years?

As for the"genetic defectives" and "mentally ill" - they're already protected by the Federal Americans with Disabilities act. Have been since 1992.

No, the only group not protected are those born Intersexed - with bodies neither wholly male nor female. That's about 10000 in Maryland, and their unemployment rate is over 40%. Over 70% have been actually discriminated against, lost jobs, refused medical treatments in ERs... figures show they're the most discriminated against group in the USA. This bill wouldn't fix all the problems, just the ones in employment as a first step, they can still be refused service at lunch counters or forced to sit at the back of the bus. But for some here, that's still too much.

When full civil rights (apart from marriage) were given to Gays 10 years ago, they were cut out from the bill because Gays don't like them either. Every year since then, such bills have been introduced - but there's so much hatred, so much bigotry, they've all failed.

@ More to come people, and @Leon

DAMN STRAIGHT (ironic, isn't it) there'll be more homopromo coming your way. And I'm going to LOVE watching you squirm when YOUR son, daughter, uncle, aunt, mother, COMES OUT to you after the years of abuse and intolerance you've subjected them to. And then you'll be left alone, just like you want. Very, very alone. Have fun living under the bridge.

The Hatred of the naysayers on this page is both sad and astounding.
..tell me please. what are you afraid of?

First, I'm glad this bill is going to die. It deserved to die after so-called "Equality" Maryland threw transfolk under the bus on public accommodations. The *only* assaults have come at the hands of bigots against transfolk, who only want to do their business and leave.

As to perverts like "More to come" who can do nothing but vomit up hate, bigotry and fearmongering, all I can say is that I pity you, boy. Perverted bigots like you have no facts on your side, so you spew bile like this which may incite someone to assault or kill a transperson.

Transfolk have been with humanity for eons! The aboriginal peoples of this continent revered the two-spirit members of their tribe, not to mention societies all over Asia and the Pacific islands.

I'm AM an American, bigots! Like it or not, our Constitution was written to protect the *minority* from the tyranny of the majority, and I *demand* my rights to be treated equally on the job, access to a toilet on the job, at the mall, at the grocery store, etcetera.

If the perverts of the religious reicht don't like it, go to the Vatican, so you can be with other perverts like yourself.

Transexual and intersex (hermaphrodite) persons SHOULD be protected by antidiscrimination laws. They DO have a MEDICAL condition and are in NO WAY dangerous to ANYONE.
Here are statements and resolutions made by the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health supporting “FULL EQUALITY for transgender and gender-variant people”. They also support “legal and social recognition of transgender individuals consistent with their gender identity and expression” and “Support the provision of adequate and MEDICALLY NECESSARY treatment for transgender and gender variant people.”

Interesting how some groups have to get the government to LEGISLATE in ORDER to DEMAND that others accept them. They must FORCE & CRAM their personal choices down our throats. They haven't got the ability to stand on their own two feet cause they have no standing. So they run to others to like the kid who runs to mommy & daddy and whines and snivels "They won't play with me! OR "They won't let me play!" Grow up!!! Quit wasting tax payer time & money over an issue that involves a small population. Many are TRULY suffering because of the inability to put food on the table, get needed medicines, provide for their children and ailing parents. Seniors are having to choose between food or medicine. We have a high homicide rate, violent gang-related issues, drug problem—these 3 alone are killing people in the prime of their lives. We have children missing or being abducted, education is being cut, we want our troops brought home, we are being invaded by terrorists and leeching criminals, and gasoline/oil prices that are rising like crazy. IMPORTANT issues!!! TRUE LIFE & DEATH STUFF!!! Yet.....this small group wants us to halt EVERYTHING that effects MILLIONS and focus on THEM (a few hundred) cause these men want to dress up as women and therefore, we MUST pass laws to FORCE us to allow, like, accept & protect them. Puh-leeeeeeeaaase. It's not even a social issue. It's their personal choice. Different choices can be made.

What a sorrowful state our nation is in where people who do absolutely nothing to hurt others are: a) thrown out of their homes without cause; b) fired from their jobs even when performing them well; c) angrily attacked by fearful people who do not even know them, both physically in the streets and verbally on these pages; and d) subjected to hatred, calumny and disinformation (nothing in the law prevents firing for poor performance) allowed by the person moderating this page. What would Jesus do? What Jesus did: Love and help his neighbors, not hate and attack them.

"Interesting how some groups have to get the government to LEGISLATE in ORDER to DEMAND that others accept them."
Like Blacks did.

"They must FORCE & CRAM their personal choices down our throats."
Like Jews did.

They haven't got the ability to stand on their own two feet cause they have no standing.
And only the powerful should make the rules.

"Quit wasting tax payer time & money over an issue that involves a small population."
Because the majority should be allowed to tyrannise minorities as it likes. Trans people only comprise about 100,000 people in the country, with another 300,000 severely intersexed.

"We have ... IMPORTANT issues!!! TRUE LIFE & DEATH STUFF!!! "
41% of trans people have attempted suicide, due to the persecution they face.

Those are the verifiable facts. The question is - is that the way you want America to be?

These comments are so sad. We would not need to "waste time" here if we lived in a society that was free of bigotry and hate. Since when is legislating to ensure constitutional rights (that people live their life not according to your opinions but according to theirs) something we do not want our politicians taking up urgently.

We could use a little more love in this world. Support your fellow human beings. Hate will get us nowhere as a society.

Actually D. Brooks, people like you are the reason money has to continue to be spent for civil and equal rights. Ponder about that for a minute.

I'm not going to be stupid and say the gay agenda doesn't exist. It does exist. And the agenda is equality.

OK, so, voice of reason here.
Employment protections for trans people no more force you to hire us than it forces you to hire black people, we will simply be afforded the same protections. Regarding mental illness, if that were true we would already be protected by the Americans with disability act. We're not.

Being trans isn't a choice; it's not some creepy fetish thing we have going on. Trans people get a cocktail mix of depression and anxiety relating to their assigned-at-birth sex, and the only known way to get rid of it is through transition, which is to say changing the gender we present. I suppose there is a choice, of being miserable or being a freak. Personally, I'd rather be a freak than be miserable.