Transgender people may gain equal protection under Connecticut’s anti-discrimination laws if a proposal, to be introduced in the upcoming legislative session, becomes law. The proposed law would prevent workplace, housing and financial discrimination.

More than a dozen states have similar laws on the books, including California, Illinois, Maine and Massachusetts.

“We feel good,” said Jerimarie Liesegang, head of the Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coalition told The Hartford Courant. “We’ve done the groundwork, we’ve done the education and we know we have the votes.”

The paper reports:

Connecticut has long prohibited discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation. In fact, the state was one of the first to outlaw bias against gays and lesbians.

Activists say the new proposal would extend those protections to people whose appearance doesn’t mesh with gender stereotypes, such as women who favor traditionally “masculine” clothing or hairstyles, or men who appear effeminate.Such individuals would be protected even if they don’t view themselves as transgendered.

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“How many times do we discriminate against someone based on how they look?” Liesegang asked. “If a woman is a little more masculine, that doesn’t mean she has a right to be fired. … This isn’t about special rights, it’s about basic human rights and making people comfortable with difference.”

The measure has its critics. Kevin Witkos spoke out against the bill in 2007, while he served in the House. Witkos, a Republican from Canton, was recently elected to the Senate and continues to have reservations.

In particular, Witkos expressed concerns about the ramifications of the measure on the state’s public schools. “It impacts the learning environment,” he said. Witkos and other critics would also like to see a “restroom except” to prevent men from using a public women’s bathroom, for instance.

“There are a lot of perverse people, I see it as a policeman,” said Witkos, a Canton police sergeant. “They could use the provisions in this bill to try and go into the opposite sex’s bathroom. That would have to be addressed in the legislation or it will not get my support.”