Maine Lawmakers Reject Transgender Bill
06/08/2011 Reported By: Susan Sharon
http://www.mpbn.net/Home/tabid/36/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3478/ItemId/16700/Default.aspxA bill that would have amended the Maine Human Rights Act and repealed existing protections for transgender people accessing public restrooms, locker rooms and showers has been rejected by both the House and Senate. The sponsor said he was only trying to protect the everyone's privacy by allowing schools and businesses to adopt their own bathroom gender policies. But opponents characterized the bill as mean-spirited, unnecessary and potentially dangerous to transgender people.
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Maine House, Senate Reject Transgender Rest Room Bill
06/08/2011 10:56 AM ET
http://www.mpbn.net/Home/tabid/36/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3478/ItemId/16689/Default.aspxThe House voted 81-61 against the bill, which would have allowed schools and businesses to restrict the rest room use of transgender people; the Senate today voted 23 to 11 to reject it.
UPDATE: 11:29 AM ET:
The Maine Senate has just joined the House in rejecting a bill that would have repealed protections for transgender people under the Maine Human Rights Act. LD 1096 would have allowed restaurants and schools to adopt their own policies for restroom use and stripped away the ability of transgender people to file discrimination lawsuits if they were denied access to a rest room that did not correspond with their biological sex.
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Maine Senate kills transgender bathrooms bill
By Glenn Adams, The Associated Press
Posted June 08, 2011, at 5:04 p.m.
http://bangordailynews.com/2011/06/08/politics/maine-senate-kills-transgender-bathrooms-bill/AUGUSTA, Maine — The state Senate voted Wednesday to kill legislation addressing the use of public restrooms by transgender individuals, a bill that supporters said was meant to help businesses and schools in an untenable situation but that opponents said was fueled by bigotry and hatred.
After similar action by the House a day earlier, senators voted 23-11 to kill a bill that said the state Human Rights Commission doesn't have to find unlawful discrimination when transgendered people are not allowed to use a bathroom, shower room or other public accommodation based on their gender identity.
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Maine Legislature spurns transgender bill
By Steve Mistler, Staff Writer
Jun 08, 2011 8:45 am
http://www.sunjournal.com/state/story/1042996AUGUSTA — The Legislature has moved decisively 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.
Passage of LD 1046 was rejected by the House, 61-81, in a late Tuesday night vote that saw 15 Republicans break with the Democratic minority. On Wednesday the Senate voted 11-23 against the bill's passage.
