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Related Topics: WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON
(Map, News)
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A Montgomery County Council member who authored a bill that outlaws discrimination against transgendered people says she has been receiving death threats at her home and office and wants the county to provide additional security for her and her transgendered senior aide. Related Topics: WASHINGTON
Officials in Council Member Duchy Trachtenberg’s office provided copies of multiple menacing and sexually explicit letters that she said were sent to her home and office through regular mail.
“Put an end to Bill 2307 or else you will not live that long,” a photocopy of one signed letter provided by Trachtenberg reads.
Bill 2307 amends county laws to add gender identity discrimination to the lists of potential types of prejudice, but opponents have said they fear it will allow men access to women’s bathrooms.
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A police spokesman said they have been notified about the alleged threats and are “taking appropriate measures.”
kmiller@dcexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
6:13 AM MST on Sat., Jan. 19, 2008 re: "Transgender bill facing new round of opposition"
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9:05 PM MST on Fri., Jan. 18, 2008
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4:21 PM MST on Thu., Jan. 17, 2008
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Examiner Reader said:
Yet another thing to add to the list of reasons why I'm glad that I moved out of Montgomery County.
47 agree | 53 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
"distinctly Personal and private" refers to accomodations. "accomodations" are not bathrooms. Bathrooms are facilities. Sport and Health is using the "distinctly personal and private" clause to claim they are exempt from the law as a private club. Private accomodations and their facilities (bathrooms) are exempt from the law. Public accomodations and their facilities are not exempt from the law. But, case law says that health clubs are public accomodations.... so Sport and Health may not be exempt.
52 agree | 42 disagree
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Fact Check said:
Not true. Bottom line, you conveniently left out the part of the law that exempts bathrooms/locker rooms: Accommodations that are "distinctly personal or private." Here are the reasons that this incident was clearly a stunt: 1) Turner's pro-discrimination group hasn't been able to get much support or many signatures on their petition, because people think they are hysterical and mean-spirited. They needed to do something to change that. 2) There are nearly 100 other jurisdictions in the U.S. with similar laws in effect. Over many years, there has never been a single instance of a man pretending to be a transgender woman to gain access to a ladies' room. It just doesn't happen. 3) Turner's group has a long history of using theatrics, hyperbole, and misleading statements to achieve its goals. This kind of thing is exactly their M.O.
55 agree | 52 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Bottom line, what the guy did (cross-dresser, transsexual or whatever) under the new law is perfectly legal. "An ..agent..of any place of public accommodation in the County must not, with respect to the accommodation: …..make any distinction with respect to …gender identity in connection with… use of any facility (bathrooms, lockers or showers)…” "Gender identity means an individual’s actual or perceived gender, including a person’s gender-related appearance, expression, image, identity, or behavior, whether or not those gender-related characteristics differ from the characteristics customarily associated with the person’s assigned sex at birth.”
59 agree | 58 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
"Kelly Nicholson, general manager for the gym, said the person exited the locker room quickly and the gym could not verify that the incident had occurred. The offender has not been identified, and Nicholson said she questioned whether the person was actually transgendered." Anyone with an ounce of sense knows how ludicrous this claim is. A transgender woman at a gym wearing heavy make-up and a ruffled skirt? Give me a break. This is such an obvious hoax, perpetrated by people who don't have the facts on their side. Let's just say that her behavior with regard to the Montgomery County sex ed curriculum leaves Michelle Turner with approximately zero trustworthiness.
62 agree | 53 disagree
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