Montgomery County becomes first US county to ban discrimination based on natural hairstyles Maryland’s Montgomery County is the first county in the United States to pass legislation banning discrimination based upon a person’s natural hairstyle. The Montgomery County Council voted unanimously for the bill that prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, taxi service and other public accommodations. A person who is discriminated against can seek a civil penalty of up to $5,000 through the county’s Office of Human Rights. “It will expand the definition of race to include natural hairstyles, like Afros, twists, Bantu knots, and protective hair styles like braids,...