With an overwhelming majority—33-4—the Massachusetts Senate passed a long-awaited bill to ensure that transgender people have the same rights to public accommodations as everyone else in the Bay State.
“The measure would update state anti-discrimination law. So, just as a restaurant or theater can’t refuse service to people based on their race, such venues couldn’t discriminate against transgender people,” explained a May 12 Boston Globe article, written on the evening of the vote.
“Today’s historic passage of the transgender protections bill in the Massachusetts Senate sends a message the transgender community has longed for decades to hear—that we are truly welcome and valued in our Commonwealth, and that our contributions are a part of the fabric that allows Massachusetts to thrive and prosper,” announced Kasey Suffredini, co-chair of Freedom Massachusetts on its website.
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders Transgender Rights Project Director Jennifer Levi concurs. “Today we moved one giant step closer to securing full non-discrimination protections for transgender people in Massachusetts,” Levi stated in a statement from GLAD released shortly after the Senate passed the bill.
As the Globe article goes on to note:
The Democratic leaders of the Legislature, Senate President Stanley C. Rosenberg and House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo, both back the bill. Governor Charlie Baker, a Republican who opposed such a measure during his failed 2010 run for governor, has not taken a position on it. Still, Baker has indicated he probably won’t veto it should the legislation be sent to his desk.
DeLeo, the House speaker, supports the thrust of the legislation, but the House is likely to take up a different version than the one passed by the Senate. That vote is likely to happen in coming weeks.
Says Levi:
Our sincere thanks go out to Senate President Stan Rosenberg for his leadership, and to every senator who chose to stand for equality today. Many thanks as well to Senator Chang-Diaz for her leadership and support.
This is an incredible moment. And we got here through years of steadfast work by transgender people, family members, allies, businesses, faith leaders, and community organizations.
We have every chance to pass this bill this year, to ensure fair and long-overdue protections for transgender people, and to make Massachusetts a leader once again in achieving equality for all.
Together we have built up tremendous momentum, but we can’t stop now. The bill must next be taken up by the House, and I encourage supporters to contact their representatives and urge them to take a stand for equality.
We at Boston Spirit magazine send our heartfelt congratulations to the Bay State legislators who voted to pass these protections and to all those who continue to work to ensure equal rights for all.
