Press Release - November 21, 2007
Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Michelle Turner
michelle.turner@mcpscurriculum.org
(301) 335-6042

GENDER IDENTITY ACT OPENS FEMALE FACILITIES TO MEN

Montgomery County, MD – “By the stroke of a very powerful pen, County Executive Leggett has broken the biological barriers that separate male and female facilities. No longer will women and girls be able to feel safe in the most private and personal facilities in schools, public pools, malls, stores, health clubs, restaurants and other public places throughout the county,” according to Michelle Turner, spokeswoman for Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum.

CRC, a grassroots organization of Montgomery County citizens, has been in the forefront of the fight to get restrooms, showers, changing rooms and other private facilities exempted from the county’s new gender identity act.

The act, passed by the Montgomery Council on November 13 and signed by County Executive Ike Leggett, prohibits discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations, and cable and taxicab services based on a person’s self-described gender identity, which may deviate from his or her biological sex. The act adds gender identity to the list of protected classes to Chapter 27 of the Montgomery County Code banning discrimination.

Critics of the act focused on an amendment to its public accommodation provision which would have expressly ended sex-segregated facilities, opening ladies room doors to men who feel female. When the council removed the amendment, the broadly written public accommodations provision left the use of private facilities by transgenders to be interpreted by the county’s Human Rights Commission.

The commission has already gone on record as stating it “would interpret the bill as allowing a person to use facilities based on that person's gender identity.” [Bill 23-07, bottom of page 3].

Under the act, “Any biological male who is willing to wear a dress and who is feeling transgendered that particular moment can enter the ladies room or locker room. What about the convicted pedophile? No exception for him. What about the convicted rapist? No exception there. What about the child pornographer? Was any exemption made to keep people on the registered sex crimes list from using the rights set forth in the accommodation section of the bill? No,” said Turner.

Another focus of CRC’s criticism is the act’s lack of an exemption for religious organizations such as churches, schools and religious book stores which are covered employers under the act. They can no longer restrict hiring to those who hold similar religious beliefs. “The act will use the force of law to make these organizations accept transgenders, transvestites, and cross dressers as employees. Will Christian employees who have a Bible on their desk be judged guilty of a hate crime by the HRC under this act?” said Turner.

The Federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which was recently passed by the House of Representatives, added protection for homosexuals but did not have the votes to add gender identity. It also includes an outright exemption for religious organizations and schools.

Opponents of the act say they will seek a referendum and plan to start gathering signatures soon. Their new website www.notmyshower.com provides information on the push.