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NEWS RELEASE EQUALITY MARYLAND EQUALITY MARYLAND DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED WITH WEAKING OF HATE CRIMES BILL Legislation is Insufficient to Prosecute Anti-Transgender
Hate Crimes, Group Says BALTIMORE –– In a bittersweet development, the Maryland House of Delegates passed House Bill 365, the Hate Crimes Penalties Act, after the Judiciary Committee stripped the bill of language inclusive of the transgender community. Legislators ignored strong lobbying efforts by Equality Maryland and compelling testimony in the committee hearing regarding the issue of anti-transgender hate crimes. By removing “gender identity or expression” from HB 365, as well as language regarding the perceptions of the perpetrator, the legislation now conforms to the bill that was approved by the House last year. On Monday, the House of Delegates voted 94-41 to send the bill to the Senate for consideration. “Legislators have left a particularly vulnerable segment of Maryland’s LGBT community unprotected by actively removing ‘gender identity or expression’ language from the Hate Crimes Penalties Act,” said Executive Director Dan Furmansky. “Equality Maryland will continue to press for legislation that addresses the problem of hate crimes against the entire LGBT community.” The Hate Crimes Penalties Act, as originally drafted and supported by Equality Maryland, would have expanded Maryland's existing hate crimes statute, in place since 1988, by creating a separate cause of action for crimes that are motivated by a victim's "sexual orientation" or "gender identity or expression." Although violent crime throughout the United States has been declining in recent years, hate crimes against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people continue to rise – and are underreported. Delegate Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County) and Senator Sharon Grosfeld (D-Montgomery County) introduced identical versions of the Hate Crimes Penalties Act (HB 365/SB 698) in both houses of the General Assembly. “These two legislators joined Del. Susan Lee, who serves on the House Judiciary Committee, in showing tremendous leadership on the issue of hate violence,” said Furmansky. “We thank them sincerely for fighting vigorously for an inclusive bill.” The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee has not voted on SB 698, and may vote on the House version instead. “I am very upset that Maryland legislators don’t seem to think we exist or that crimes against our community are a serious epidemic,” said Courtney Murphy, Equality Maryland Board Member and co-chair of MATTER (Marylanders Advocating Toward Transgender Equal Rights), the transgender political advocacy arm of the organization. “The time to take action on anti-transgender hate crimes is long overdue.” ### Equality Maryland is Maryland's largest civil rights organization, focused on making life better for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens of Maryland. Equality Maryland works to secure and protect the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Marylanders by promoting legislative initiatives on the state, county and municipal levels and educating the public about the issues faced by our diverse community. Equality Maryland can be found online at www.equalitymaryland.org
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