Republicans took control of the Maine House and Senate last November -- and a teabagger was elected Governor. They've been pushing an extreme agenda in the Legislature. But, one of their nasty bills, aimed at Maine's transgender community, was defeated last night:
The House of Representatives moved last Tuesday evening against a controversial bill that would have prevented transgender individuals from filing complaints against schools and other public institutions for restricting access to bathrooms and locker rooms.Protections for gender identity were added to the Maine Human Rights Act as part of a referendum that was passed by voters in November of 2005.
Passage of LD 1046 was rejected by the House, 61-81, in a vote that saw 15 Republicans break with the Democratic minority. The bill had been prompted by a highly publicized case involving an Orono elementary school student that reached the Maine Human Rights Commission and is still being litigated.
Sounds like the legislators on our side really did a good job:
Rep. Charlie Priest, D-Brunswick, said the individuals "don't want to stand out," they only want to be accepted by the gender they identify with.
"It is a bad idea to unravel the Maine Human Rights Act in response to an unjustified fear," Priest said.
