Concord – The New Hampshire Senate today unanimously rejected a bill that would have extended anti-discrimination laws to transgendered people.

House Bill 415 would have protected those with sexual identity issues in areas of housing and employment, much the way the state’s laws protects others from discrimination on the basis of color, race, religion or sexual orientation.

Those who fought the bill said it would open women’s bathrooms, changing rooms and locker rooms to sexual predators who could raise a defense in court that they were sexually confused.

The 24-0 vote to kill it came after Democrats blasted opponents of the bill for dubbing the measure the “bathroom bill,” a move they said created misunderstanding and fear among the general population.

They also criticized the press and media for picking up on the nickname, saying they became an unwitting partner in the effort to continue denying a part of the population its civil rights.

“Shame on you,” said Sen. Jacalyn Cilley, D-Barrington, as she accused opponents of “political posturing and gamesmanship.”

Bill supporters said discrimination of any kind is wrong, and that state law should protect all citizens equally. They said there have been no bathroom incidents in the 13 states that have similar laws on the books.

Sen. Martha Fuller Clark, D-Portsmouth, a sponsor of the bill, said that those who campaigned against the bill “shamefuly sought to distract us from the real issue, literally bringing the debate to the toilets."

Passing the bill now would only worsen the situation for transsexuals because of the way the bill was portrayed, she said.

The campaign to defeat it “embodies at its very core the ugly and misplaced prejudice we had all hoped this bill would prevent," Clark said.

Sen. Bette Lasky, D-Nashua, said the bill had been “outrageously mischaracterized and, worse yet ridiculed.”

No Republicans spoke during the brief debate.

A Senate committee last week voted 5-0 to recommend the entire Senate kill the bill.

HB 415 passed the House by a single vote on April 8, 188-187, winning there only after a parliamentary move brought it back to life two weeks after it initially failed.