This case proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that hate crime laws are nothing but PC thought crimes.
When ones perceived, yes perceived gender is more PROTECTED than ones skin color, then we have stooped to a new low in this country.

Protected classes of people (homos, sexually confused, minorities etc) who are entitled to be protected by more laws than the unprotected classes we have set up a new segregated society, segregated by looks and gender.

We have moved backwards in society and it will ruin this nation.

Allow EVERYONE to protect themselves from attack by giving Marylanders the right to carry a concealed firearm. Thugs, punks, would-be rapists & thieves will have one more thing to consider before risking their lives.

Anon-
the EVIDENCE suggests that the crime was based on gender and not on RACE.
just because the victim is White doesn't make it a hate crime against whites.

So why were those like Matthew Shepard, James Byrd, Jr., Gwen Araujo attacked and killed if not for hatred of their sexuality, race, or gender identity? Just boys being boys? That seems truly backwards to me.

I'm just not sure where I see the "hate crime" aspect of this charge. A transgender man tried to use a woman's bathroom, and someone who was ignorant to his/her lifestyle took it as a pervert using the wrong bathroom, and attacked. She didn't go looking for him, or plan to attack someone who is transgender.

I'm not excusing what happened, anyone getting attacked to that degree is disgusting, I would just be more inclined to label it assault, to me every crime is a "hate crime"

is C.L. POLIS,related to jared polis,the admitted homosexual politician from boulder colorado?

We dont need hate crime laws that protect specific people. We need TOUGHER laws that protect ALL citizens. NO ONE should be subject to this type of behavior and those that commit crimes against others should be punished without exception requardless of AGE or any other demographincs.

Hate crime in the greater Washington area is a serious problem. DC has the highest rate of anti-LGBT bias crimes in the nation. If you want to be part of the solution then please teach tolerance and support or get involved with anti-hate groups like GLOV. (glovdc.org)

Anytime there is a kodak moment the politicains come a running I don't think that this was a hate crime but a crime of assault and battery for sure , the transgender person did not belong in the females bathroom but did not deserve to beating for it , the two females who assaulted him/her ? should go to jail to think about their action over something that was small, this were youth can work against a person if they do not know any better.

When ALL people are attacked and beaten at the same rate, then we'll worry about making laws that are not class specific. When you worry about your personal safety every time you walk out the front door, then we'll talk about specifically addressing that issue. However, after you are beaten understand you'll need to endure that for 10 years or so while waiting for the rest of the world to get educated about you.

You are asking for protections you don't even need just because some are asking for protections they do need, its ridiculous.

I don't think it was a hate crime at all if you were a female and a man came using the bathroom you would feel some kind of wayb too. I think if you are a man you use the mens room period. You are either a man or a woman.

To all those who say hate crimes are just thought crimes and we should punish all criminals equally, you simply don't understand criminal law. All crimes require a mental intent (mens rea). Just think about it for a second. Intent is what makes an action criminal or not. For instance, if all you know is that my fist contacts your face, you do not have enough information to judge whether or not a crime occured. If I was having an epileptic seizure that caused my arms to wave about and it hits you in the face, I am not guilty of any crime because my action was not intentional. Conversly, if I intended to punch your lights out, its a crime. Hate crimes make sense because in order to be found guilty of a hate crime, the state must prove that your actions (assualting someone) was based on a mental intent to harm someone based on some inalianable characteristic of the victim (race, sex, gender, sexuality). Which is perfectly acceptable because our society should actively combat the negative biases people have towards certain minority groups. If you hit me because I slept with your boyfriend, that's assualt. If you hit me because I am black, that is a hate crime. Why is that so hard for some people to understand. Just think of our homicide laws. If we followed the anti-hate crime logic, anytime someone is killed it should just be first degree murder without any inquiry as to whether the act was intentional, planned, or with malice or if it was simply a horrible mistake.

To Daniel Ewald:

I comend you on trying to use the proper terminology, but you have it reversed. Chrissy is a trans-woman, not a trans-man. And having seen her, do you really think she should be in the mens room? Wouldn't that be more awkward for all involved? Is that really safer? And it is a hate crime because it was motivated by a hatred for her as a transwomen. I agree that most crimes do not come from a place of love, but someone who assualts another person because some inalinable characteristic is much more culpable then someone who assualts someone for the "normal" reasons we get angry at people for what they do. I'm sure you can understand that.

Laura,

You are incredibly nieve to think that the only two options are male or female. Are you not aware of hermaphrodites? Do you not know that a large percentage of "normal" women have XY chromosomes? And if we are only male and female, what is Chrissy or all the other transgendered people in the world. Why are you so hung up on the binary gender system? Is being born with a vagina the greatest thing you have done with your life?

Autumn,

Going by The Sun's reporting- Chrissy Lee Polis said she was assaulted in an apparent dispute over her using a woman's restroom. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/bs-md-co-mcondalds-hate-crime-20110516,0,4535491.story

And the assailants shouted out something close to "she's using our bathroom" on the video.

So to me, Chrissy was using the female's restroom, as she should since she identifies as a woman.

"Are you not aware of hermaphrodites?"

They are caused by genetic defects correct?

Just like these people who are born one way and want to be another.
Genetic defects are the cause. No different than any other genetic defect such as Downs etc.

Daniel Ewald, Matthew Shepard tried to pick up some straight cowboy and who was not from Brokeback Mtn and he paid an ugly price.

This is a step in the wrong direction. It is a trajedy that someone is to be severly beaten because of their sexual orientation.

It's great to see laws being developed such as these that will punish people more severly if they attack someone just because of their race or sexual orientation.

Wait...did the Gov pledge to help find the killers of a 17yr found floating in a MD river??? Seems this trangender issue has gotten more national media attention than a murdered child. Thank God the transgender was the right "media" color!!!

When will short and fat people become part of the PROTECTED CLASS?

But WAIT.....you are all missing the point here, this POS Teonna Brown's attorney said she acted in "self defense"!!! Self defense FROM WHAT????? She should be beaten herself and drug naked across the asphault parking lot of that dump McDonalds for all to witness!!!

If I'm thinking of Unicorns and rainbows as I beat someone will that make it a love crime??? HATE CRIME is total BS! Arrest these poeople for attempted murder. PERIOD!

It's just like O'mally to overlook murders

After reading some of these comments it's obvious that the State of Maryland needs tougher laws and smarter citizens.