Baltimore residents have lost their battle against an ordinance protecting transgendered people.
Under the controversial "gender identity" law, a man would be allowed to walk into a women's restroom or shower room claiming he believes himself to be a woman, essentially opening the door for rape or sexual molestation. In July a lower Montgomery County court agreed more than 900,000 petition signers had the right to see it on the ballot to choose whether to overturn it -- but it was appealed. "A group that supports rights for cross-dressing transsexuals came into court at the last minute and raised a number of technical objections, many of them quite far-fetched," says Alliance Defense Fund attorney Jordan Lorence. But the Maryland Court of Appeals apparently did not see the objections in that light, and ruled that the measure will not go on the ballot. Consequently, says Lorence, voters are "stuck" with the transgender discrimination ordinance. "And there's nothing they can do about it unless they start all over again to gather signatures," the attorney laments. There is no provision in the law to protect citizens from predators, and there is no exception for religious organizations -- including the church, says Lorence. For example, he states it would be a violation of the ordinance if two men, one of whom claims to be a woman, wish to get married but are denied by a church that defines marriage as a man and a woman.
If you believe OneNewsNow.com is an important source for Christian news, please consider a small tax-deductible gift for this service.
