Opponents of equality are stirring up unfounded fears about safety and privacy in an effort to enshrine discrimination into law.
Last week, Rep. Carl Glimm (R, Kila) introduced HB 609. This law would force all Montanans to use public facilities based on their biological sex as designated on their original birth certificate. It goes even further by granting individuals the right to sue public entities for allowing transgender and gender diverse individuals to use accommodations based on their gender identity.
To be clear, HB 609 would set an inhumane precedent of discrimination in Montana.
The goal of HB 609 is to undermine basic human rights that ensure all LGBTQ people are treated fairly in our great state. This bill puts all of our privacy and safety in jeopardy and creates an immense financial burden for school districts, local governments, and the State of Montana. It would also overturn any protections for transgender and gender diverse people in schools and other public buildings that are currently provided by local non-discrimination ordinances.
That’s why we need your help again.
Please attend the HB 609 hearing this Thursday, March 23 at 8:00am in Helena at the State Capitol in Room 137. Montana Representatives need to hear directly from us, their constituents, about the potentially devastating impact of this harmful bill.
Here are a few ways you can fight back against the harmful HB 609:
- Send a message to your state legislator here
- Call the Montana State Legislature Hotline at 406-444-4800
- Attend the hearing and give public testimony on Thursday in Helena
- Volunteer to phone bank in Bozeman, Missoula or Helena to call constituents and encourage legislators to vote no on HB 609
It’s going to take each one of us to fight back against this harmful bill and to prevent certain elected officials from using our lives for political gain. We appreciate your continued commitment to advocating and protecting the basic human rights of all Montanans.
Kim Leighton is Pride Foundation’s Regional Development Organizer in Montana. Email Kim.