They've been refused service in restaurants and barred from neighborhood taverns. Some business owners have taken to posting signs on the door to warn them away.
And all they did to merit such treatment was to ride a motorcycle.
"I'm a single, white Jewish male with hearing loss," said Michael Sage, a bald and bearded biker from Rockville. "I can't be discriminated against for any of these, but because I ride a motorcycle, I'm being denied a seat in a restaurant."
Wear leather clothing, a Harley-Davidson T-shirt, or boots and a jacket with zippers on the sleeves and increasingly, you may not get served in establishments from Baltimore to Ocean City, motorcycle enthusiasts told members of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee yesterday.
Often, motorcyclists say, they will get tapped on the shoulder by a manager and asked to leave.
But signs that read "No Bikers" or "No Leather" also are being posted.
"I've seen softball teams act a lot worse than motorcyclists, but you don't see signs that say 'No Softball Teams' or 'No Uniforms," Ray Dix, a father of three from Middle River, told committee members.
The bikers want the General Assembly to support a bill sponsored by Sen. Michael J. Collins, a Baltimore County Democrat, that would bar businesses from discriminating on the basis of "personal appearance, association, or mode of transportation."
"They look at us and they see Marlon Brando tearing up a town," said John Murray, 68, of Silver Spring, referring to the classic 1954 film "The Wild One."
"I could show up in a business suit driving a Mercedes and raise Cain, but wear a Harley T-shirt and you won't be allowed in."
In the past, motorcyclists have usually appeared before the legislature to protest the requirement that they wear protective helmets. This time, they came looking for protection.
"I'm a CPA," said Michael Miles, a longtime motorcyclist and Montgomery County resident. "When's the last time you heard of someone being afraid of a certified public accountant?"
Senator Collins said the measure would still allow businesses to require certain dress such as shirts and shoes or jacket and tie. But it would ensure that requirements be enforced uniformly and fairly, he said.
"I may not dress like the motorcycle folks or wear my hair that way, but they deserve to be admitted to a public accommodation," Mr. Collins told the committee.
Representatives of retail stores and bars questioned whether bikers needed the legal protection afforded minorities, religious groups, the disabled and women. They said they have heard few, if any, incidents in which access was denied because a customer rode a motorcycle.
"Next, you could be looking at hobbies," said Thomas S. Saquella, president of the Maryland Retail Merchants Association. "I don't think there is evidence this is happening on a widespread basis."
Joseph A. Schwartz III, a lobbyist representing the Maryland State Licensed Beverage Association, said tavern operators worry that motorcycle gangs may literally take control of their establishments. It's not the individual, but the groups of bikers that pose a problem, he said. "This is not a distinct and insular minority that has been historically mistreated."
Committee member Sen. Delores G. Kelley, a Baltimore Democrat, said opponents were echoing the arguments made years ago against the civil rights movement. Back then, business owners had preconceptions that black customers would cause trouble, too, she said. The committee is expected to approve the bill, but the legislation is likely to have a tougher time in the House of Delegates. A similar bill passed the Senate last year, but was voted down by a House committee.