I don't know. Seems to me he proposed a bill he knew wouldn't see the light of day, and now that it won't he's able to claim he did his best and kept his promise while not actually accomplishing anything or even pushing all that hard for it.

Fair enough. Thanks for addressing my comment. You'll have to forgive my deep cynicism regarding your devotion to the bill. I've seen how the sausage is made (although not in Baltimore Co.) and very little of what I witnessed, if anything, was as it was represented.

He has sent many emails and phone calls to people throughout this with very threating messages. This is not ok nor should a Councilman be acting in such a matter.

Both David Marks and Todd Huff voted NO on this bill, so remember that in November.

This bill is a prime example of the government's overreach to control our lives and we are not going to sit still on it. We are prepared to take it to referendum and need all the help we can get in collecting signatures, so please come forward to volunteer. We can do this, but not without lots of help.

One last note Quirk, Bevans, Almond, Oliver and Olszewski.......your constituents have been very interested in your vote on this moral issue and I look forward to informing them of your vote last night. Thank you.

David Marks, don't fret about your term limits bill being shot down. The Democrat votes on Bill 3-12 will give you much more than you hoped for, not 3, but 1 year in office for the Democrats.

This discussion indicates, if nothing else, that this legislation is outside the county's area of expertise which exists principally to address matters affecting land use and neighborhood services like police/fire, water, and sewer. Moreover, the depth and breadth of resources required to develop quality legislation that involves complex issues of morality are tremendous, and are certainly greater than what Quirk devoted given the closed-minded attitude he has so clearly and consistently demonstrated in refusing to listen to constituents.

The good people of this county endured Councilman Quirk's selfish grandstanding yesterday, but it is not too late. County Executive Kamenetz, a veteran of the Council, can veto this legislation. He can send a message to his freshman colleague that he stands for quality legislation and stands against such unacceptable conduct, that he stands with his large community of concerned citizens, and that he stands against the special interests that Quirk has aligned himself with.

Mark Patro, Could you please provide answers to the above...?

If I remember correctly, Brennan's statements were centered around the definition of gender identity and that the definition involves self-identification. I agree that self-identification is wrong where it comes to the public health (restroom access) aspect of any law that relates to the rights of transsexuals. I feel that some, but not all who are forced to live under this transgender "umbrella" have a medical need to access to private and personal spaces. At the same time, I do not buy the rhetoric about a flow of "men in dresses" going to start raping women and girls in public restrooms due to this legislation. The cases I have seen cited involved men, dressed as men, invading private spaces and they did not claim any kind of "transgender protection".

The equality community continues to make this a social issue, which for those who are weekend crossdressers, is a social issue but there are those who truly have a gender identity issue, they have been going through years of hormone replacement therapy and many have had surgical procedures. They have jumped through every possible legal hoop to properly align every aspect of their life with their properly identified gender. To this group, this is not a social issue, this is a medical necessity. This group must be protected.

If you are in Maryland and you don't have your identification changed to be congruent with your gender, you are obviously not committed to transitioning or just not ready.

Unfortunately, there are those living in Maryland who were born in Ohio, Tennessee etc, who are unable to get their documentation changed. In Ohio, they just don't do it, in Tennessee, it's actually illegal.

This an be a real problem for Intersex people, who have been surgically altered without their consent, commonly as infants, very rarely even as adults, because the doctors guessed wrong.

There's only a handful in this situation. But some, yes.

Actualy, it shows the true ignorance of folks like you. Anti-family? LOL how.
Anti -God? You mean like the people who commit crimes? Or who divorce and violate the "holy" sacrament of marriage?

Look - If people want to argue the bill is worded poorly or ineffectively - I'll hear that argument and possibly even agree. Some have made fair points with that.

However, I tend to vote Republican, and I agree with the concept behind this bill.
The ills of this society begin with people no longer caring for one another. Religion is really effective at polarizing people - and corrupting their minds with ignorance.
If that makes me part Democrat, so be it. I'd rather be that, then a heartless barbarian.

Tim, your comment: "I tend to vote Republican, and I agree with the concept behind this bill", makes you a reasonable person.

@Carlton.........very good summary!!

You mean research like this:

Male–to–female transsexuals have female neuron numbers in a limbic nucleus. Kruiver et al J Clin Endocrinol Metab (2000) 85:2034–2041
"The present findings of somatostatin neuronal sex differences in the BSTc and its sex reversal in the transsexual brain clearly support the paradigm that in transsexuals sexual differentiation of the brain and genitals may go into opposite directions and point to a neurobiological basis of gender identity disorder."

White matter microstructure in female to male transsexuals before cross-sex hormonal treatment. A diffusion tensor imaging study. - Rametti et al, J Psychiatr Res. 2010 Jun 8.
"CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that the white matter microstructure pattern in untreated FtM transsexuals is closer to the pattern of subjects who share their gender identity (males) than those who share their biological sex (females). Our results provide evidence for an inherent difference in the brain structure of FtM transsexuals."

More and more of it as time goes by, saying the same thing, Cathy.

Your submission is available for all to read too, so people can judge for themselves.

Somewhat related note: So many men don't wash their hands it's disgusting.

Maryland has protected sexual orientation since 2001. Gays gain nothing with this law. Females lose much.

Cathy, I'm sure you can read the law, Baltimore County is exempt from the law passed in 2001. Go look it up.

Hey Mark, Could you have a stab at answering those questions that I asked earlier on, or have you surrendered to the fact that this jiffy lube bill will never work?

Read the law Mark...You are wrong again, why don't you provide facts to back your claims.... still can't believe that Quirk can't provide answers either..

Still waiting for some answers Patro..

Mark, are you seriously suggesting that the Anti-Discrimination Act of 2001 does not apply to Baltimore County residents who eat at restaurants in the county, who work for private employers in the county or try to rent in the county? Citations please. Try here: http://mlis.state.md.us/2001rs/billfile/sb0205.htm

The Governor's one man wrecking ball is tearing through the state. Maryland is about to be left in a shambles while the boy wonder moves on. Same thing happened to BMORE CITY. Hopefully someone like Peter Franchot can salvage the state. Complete and absolute embarrassment on the national network yesterday. Only in America.

Obama, OMalley, OH NO!

Yes, with a reason.