Maine State Senate Passes Trans Inclusive Amendment to the Human Rights Act

[Natasha Anne]

If you're interested I'll keep posting this sort of stuff for you all. I will always post the URL for the articles in question too.

Yesterday, March 28, 2005, the Maine State Senate passed a bill that would amend the Maine Human Rights Act by making it illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity and expression in employment, housing, credit, public accommodations and education. The existing law prohibits discrimination based on race, color, sex, disability, religion, ancestry and national origin. The bill passed by a vote of 25-10 and now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration where it is expected to be considered this week.



The bill defines sexual orientation as “actual or perceived heterosexuality, bisexuality, or homosexuality, or gender identity and expression.”



“Laws such as these don’t pass over night, said Mara Keisling, Executive Director of NCTE. “Advocates in Maine have been working this bill for years and it is finally moving forward. The same is true in other states which may pass similar legislation this year.”



If passed by the House and signed into law by Governor Baldacci (who proposed the legislation), Maine will become the sixth state to have explicit legislative protections for transgender people. The other states are California, Illinois, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Rhode Island.



There is some concern that hostile members of the House of Representatives may attempt to amend the legislation to put it on the ballot this fall. NCTE of course considers it inappropriate and un-American for any minority group’s civil rights to be voted on by the majority.



NCTE congratulates the advocates in Maine for their hard work on this legislation and their unfailing commitment to maintaining trans-inclusion in the bill.



To read the bill, go to http://janus.state.me.us/legis/LawMakerWeb/externalsiteframe.asp?ID=280016226&LD=1196&Type=1&SessionID=6 (https://emea.mail.microsoft.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://janus.state.me.us/legis/LawMakerWeb/externalsiteframe.asp?ID=280016226%26LD=1196%26Typ e=1%26SessionID=6).



For more news on the bill’s progress, go to www.equalitymaine.org (https://emea.mail.microsoft.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.equalitymaine.org/).

[Priscilla1018]

That is very good news Natasha.Until now I didn't realise that my state had already passed that law.

Love and Hugs,
Priscilla

[sidney_girl]

Thanks, Natasha!

Yes, please do continue to post these types of news items. I, for one, am very interested in them.

[obsessedwithpantyhose]

with all of the tgs in AZ u would think that would already be a law here :(

[Natasha Anne]

Great news. The bill passed the House of Representatives and was signed into law by the governer!!!

Anti-Discrimination Protections for LGBT People in Maine

2005 Shaping up To Be a Record Year for State Legislation

Today, Gov. John Baldacci sign LD 1196 into law amending the Maine Human Rights Act making it illegal to discriminate in employment, housing, credit, public accommodations and education based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.

Yesterday, the Maine House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 91-58. The bill passed the Senate on March 28, 2005 by a vote of 25-10.

The bill defines sexual orientation as “actual or perceived heterosexuality, bisexuality, or homosexuality, or gender identity and expression.”

Maine is now the second state in 2005, and the sixth state overall, to explicitly include protections for transgender people in anti-discrimination legislation. In January, Illinois amended its Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, public accommodations and credit. Transgender people were protected under the definition of sexual orientation. Other states with these protections include California, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Rhode Island.

“Trans advocates and allies have been making great strides for the last few years,” said Mara Keisling, Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. “Maine and Illinois demonstrate the dedication trans people and our allies have to working for transgender rights and protections. We confidently look forward to more victories in 2005.”

NCTE congratulates the advocates in Maine for their hard work on this legislation and their unfailing commitment to maintaining trans-inclusion in the bill. We also commend Gov. Baldacci and Senator Karl Turner for their leadership on LD 1196.

To read the bill, go to http://janus.state.me.us/legis/LawM...e=1&SessionID=6 (http://janus.state.me.us/legis/LawMakerWeb/externalsiteframe.asp?ID=280016226&LD=1196&Type=1&SessionID=6).

For more news on the bill, go to www.equalitymaine.org (http://www.equalitymaine.org/).

[Melissa A.]

That's good to hear, Natasha. As I posted recently, all of New York's laws protecting Gays, Lesbians, and Bisexuals purposely excluded Transgendereds. To their credit, the gay community fought to have us included, but in the end, accepted the "compromise". The problem is, once these bills become law, and the "T" is left off GLBT, we are left on our own, a small and pretty much powerless group with very little political clout.
And there are elements of even the Gay community who believe we just ride their coattails and should not be associated with them.

What will it take in some states? The murder of a TG? Oh yeah, that's happened.....

Disgusting and discouraging. I hope the steps taken by some states is cause for hope. But it is hard to believe, sometimes.

Hugs,

Melissa :)

[trinity24]

The more religious fundies in your state, the less likely it is to pass those laws.

[Natasha Anne]

The more religious fundies in your state, the less likely it is to pass those laws.Yes, although you could class them as irreligious too.

Quite frankly, passing judgement on others, not accepting we're all sinners (their parlance), and discrimination are not good Christian values. They only need to look at Jesus Christ (if they're christian) and acknowledge that the types of folk Jesus associated were from what would have been considered the dregs of society. Yet the people today are elitist, force their human (i.e. limited, as in not of God) views on others and exclude all those that are vulnerable in society.

I know some really conservative Christians in South Africa who are very able to associate with me and don't feel it conflicts with their Christianity. They don't think what I do is right, and would never do it themselves, but are humble enough to accept I'm another human to the extent they can have me as a close friend and don't find my threatening to them so can engage me in conversation about the topic, instead of just pretending it doesn't exist.