MARYLAND: Gender Identity Bill Dies

Following a vicious campaign of lies by anti-gay Christianist groups, Maryland's gender identity anti-discrimination bill has died in the state Senate. Julie Bolcer reports at the Advocate:

Maryland senators voted on Monday to recommit the Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination to the judicial proceedings committee, effectively killing any prospects for the bill to pass this session, which ends at midnight. Shortly before 1 p.m. on the last day of session, senators voted 27 to 20 to recommit the bill to the panel, which had advanced the measure by a 7 to 4 vote on Saturday. The move leaves no time to resurrect the bill in 2011.

Among the tactics used to defeat the bill was the Not My Shower website, which claimed that heterosexual men in dresses would invade public locker rooms to molest little girls.