Again, not being an expert in criminal law.... I'm not a criminal lawyer, but having worked in the field of criminal justice for a long time and having talked with prosecutors about this, the problem is that often, as was the case with Ms. Buechner, people are reluctant to even file the original complaint because they feel they will not get equal treatment under the law.
One of the things that would help...and that did help when we listed other things, was that by saying that gender identity is included here, it will encourage people to report those crimes, and will encourage people to expect and be able to demand equal treatment under the law.