Baltimore County Council passed the “transgender bill” (Bill 3-12) by a vote split along party lines. The bill was amended in three places to include employer dress codes, and religious and education exemptions. Ultimately, the definition of "gender identity" was addressed by using the “private spaces” language that has been tested in Montgomery and Howard counties. There have been no documented incidents of transgender discrimination in Montgomery County since signing the Montgomery County bill into law in 2007 according to the Montgomery County Executive and Chief of Police.

Sharon Brackett, Board Chair for Gender Rights Maryland, had this to say:

Our success here in Baltimore County, and a few months ago in Howard County, is a testament to the forward thinking of our local elected officials. We would like to thank the entire council for having the courage to pass this legislation and in particular Councilmember Tom Quirk for being a steadfast champion for passage of this bill. In the past six months we have collectively brought these protections to over 1 million more Marylanders. This should be a strong message to Annapolis that it is time to lead the rest of the state on this matter.

Baltimore County will now join Howard, and Montgomery County and Baltimore City as the fourth jurisdiction in Maryland supporting these rights. This is a clear sign of exciting and changing times in Maryland for advocates of civil rights.

Councilmember David Marks had briefly considered voting for this bill because he said he believes that “no one should be discriminated against,” but at the decisive moment, he cast his "no" vote. This was a difficult vote for Marks. He did take the time to consider both sides of this discussion.

The bill will now be forwarded to County Executive Kevin Kamenetz who is expected to sign it. 

How would you have voted on the anti-transgender discrimination bill? Tell us in the comments.