A push to place an anti-transgender
initiative on the November ballot in Montana has failed.
Titled I-183, the initiative sought to
prohibit transgender people from using the bathroom and locker room
of their choice.
Activists working on I-183 have
confirmed that they failed to gather the roughly 26,000 signatures
needed to put the initiative to a popular vote in the fall.
Masen Davis, CEO of Freedom for All
Americans, called the initiative “dangerous.”
“LGBTQ advocates are winning, which
is why anti-LGBTQ activists are rushing to the ballot box in a
desperate race against time to attempt to roll back existing
protections and exploit voters’ lack of familiarity with
transgender people in order to codify discrimination into state law,”
Davis said in a statement. “But we know that when we introduce
transgender people to their neighbors and illustrate why these
nondiscrimination laws are so important, lawmakers and voters are
moved to a place of treating people fairly. That’s why those who
support treating LGBTQ people fairly are on the right side of
history, and that’s why I’m confident that we’ll continue to
make progress towards nondiscrimination protections for all LGBTQ
Americans.”
A ballot initiative in Massachusetts
seeks to overturn the state's transgender non-discrimination law.
The question will be on the November ballot.
“The momentum in support of
transgender rights is undeniable, but we can’t take anything for
granted – we must do everything in our power to ensure
Massachusetts makes history in November,” Davis said.