A large majority of Marylanders support
a proposed bill which seeks to prohibit discrimination on the basis
of gender identity or expression.
The measure, known as SB 212, cleared
the Maryland Senate with a mostly party-line vote last week.
A similar measure died in the Senate
after passage in the House in 2011.
(Related: Maryland
Senate approves transgender protections bill.)
The Goucher
Poll surveyed 861 adults by telephone on a wide range of issues.
When pollsters asked, “Do you
[support or oppose] including gender identity in the state's
anti-discrimination laws?” 71 percent of respondents said they were
in support, while 20 percent said they were opposed.
More women (75%) than men (67%) said
they support the legislation, which is currently in the House of
Delegates.
Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley,
who signed the state's marriage equality bill into law, has pledged
his signature.