POINT, via the Washington Post: "Maryland lawmakers are weighing a bill that would prohibit discrimination against people born as one gender who assume the identity of the other, in some cases by surgery. There is compelling evidence that many such individuals are denied jobs, housing or credit on the basis of their gender identity. The legislation is a modest, fair and reasonable step in the direction of equal rights for a minority that continues to suffer widespread bias. . . . The state passed a law banning discrimination against gay people a decade ago, but transgender individuals were dropped from the legislation. Since then, attempts to repair that have failed at least four times in Annapolis, even as other states extended legal protections. Now it’s time for Maryland to do the right thing for a beleaguered minority that’s been abused and ignored for too long."

COUNTERPOINT, via the Washington Times: "self-identified transgenders and their allies are finding success for their radical agenda by merely asserting that it’s a medical condition and going forward with counseling for 'transition' (purportedly becoming the opposite gender) and radical surgery to 'correct' their organs and sex characteristics. There is no more debate over the possibility that perhaps these people are just messed up . . . It’s fair to ask where all of this is heading. Could Jocelyn Wildenstein - famously nicknamed 'Catwoman' for the feline appearance she achieved through multiple plastic surgeries - decide after years of struggling with her identity that she is actually a cat?"