Mar 07, 2008   | COMMENTS     

Montgomery County petition challenge continues

Equality Maryland continued this week its review of signatures challenging a local transgender rights law.

Dan Furmansky, the organization’s executive director, said Wednesday that volunteers were “poring over the signatures” seeking to overturn the Montgomery County law and that a response to the challenge was forthcoming.

More than 32,000 such signatures were collected and submitted to county officials Feb. 19 by a group that opposes the law.

Citizens for a Responsible Government is seeking a public vote on the law that that prohibits “discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations, cable television service and taxicab service on the basis of gender identity.”

Originally believed to be due March 5, Equality Maryland’s response to the referendum petition is due Monday. But the organization was working this week with Montgomery County to obtain more time to review the signatures.

Equality Maryland volunteers are looking for any suspicious or incorrect signatures on the petition.

“There is a process that needs to be followed and will be followed and will determine if the bill goes to referendum,” said Dana Beyer, an Equality Maryland board member who is transgender.

But Ruth Jacobs, president of Citizens for a Responsible Government, said only 25,001 of the 32,000 signatures need to be verified to force a public vote.

“The ease with which the signatures have been obtained … demonstrates how isolated the council is from its constituents,” she said.

Council members unanimously passed the law in November, which was set to into effect last month. It was suspended until signature verifications are completed and could remain on hold until a referendum is held.

Joshua Lynsen

Gay penguin book remains off shelf at Virginia school

A controversial children’s book, “And Tango Makes Three,” has returned to shelves of most elementary school libraries in Loudoun County, Va., following an announcement by the superintendent.

At a school board meeting Feb. 26, Superintendent Edgar Hatrick said he overstepped his authority when he removed the book from library shelves after someone complained about its content to school administrators. Hatrick removed the book even after the school principal and staff deemed the book appropriate for children.

The book narrates the supposedly true story of two male penguins at a New York City zoo who, for a time, formed a couple. The book describes how the penguins hatched and raised a chick given to them by zookeepers.

The book has returned to the general shelves at 13 of the county’s 14 elementary schools. The book is slated to remain off the general shelves at Sugarland Elementary, the school that received complaint.

The complainant was originally believed to be a parent of a child at Sugarland Elementary, but was later revealed to be an assistant teacher at the school.

A Loudoun County legislative policy committee was slated this week to review the process by which books could be removed from libraries. School board spokesman Wade Byard said it would be about a month before the county changes any policies.

David Weintraub, director of Equality Loudoun, a gay rights group, said about 40 people came to the Feb. 26 meeting to support the organization’s push to get the book back on shelves.

Chris Stevenson, a Purcellville, Va., resident whose children attend Mountain View Elementary, spoke at the school board meeting. Stevenson told the Blade that removing the book was appropriate because “it’s still a raging debate in society whether homosexual marriages [and] parenting” are suitable.

CHRIS JOHNSON

Va. insurance bill that could have benefited gays dies

A Virginia bill that would have allowed local governments to provide health insurance to their employees’ same-sex partners died in a House committee Feb. 26.

The motion to report the legislation, Senate Bill 51, failed with 14 delegates voting “no” and eight delegates voting “yes.” The vote was largely along party lines with Republicans opposing the bill and Democrats supporting it. However, Del. Tom Rust (R-Herndon) supported the legislation and Dels. Joe Johnson (D-Abingdon) and Johnny Joannou (D-Portsmouth) opposed it.

The state Senate already approved the bill Jan. 23 with a vote of 23-17.

The legislation would have allowed any locality that self funds an employee health insurance program to extend coverage to any person agreed upon by the locality and the employee. Those in same-sex relationships could designate their partner as the person who would receive the health insurance.

CHRIS JOHNSON