“Massachusetts is now the 1st state this year—& the 18th in the nation—to pass full #trans protections! #TransBillMA.”
The tweet rang out from Freedom Massachusetts around 3:30 p.m. today after Governor Charlie Baker signed into law “An Act Relative to Transgender Anti-Discrimination,” thereby extending protection from discrimination to transgender people in public places.
The state’s senate and house reconciled their two versions of the law on July 6. Earlier this year, the governor publicly affirmed that he would sign the bill if brought to him by the legislators.
The governor’s public affirmation came shortly after Boston Spirit magazine invited the governor to deliver the keynote speech at its annual executive networking night. It was hoped that the governor would address the issue at the event. When he failed to do so, protestors booed him from the podium in front of more that 1,000 members of the LGBT business community and allies as well as major media outlets. The Spirit event helped bring into focus the tireless work over more than 10 years by groups like Freedom Massachusetts, GLAD and Mass Equality as well as the hardworking legislators and others who made this day possible.
In one of the first celebratory press releases, Fenway Health President and CEO Steve Boswell said:
This marks an important moment in the Commonwealth. Everyone, regardless of their gender identity, deserves full and fair protection from discrimination. The benefits of being able to exercise civil rights in public spaces such as restaurants, hospitals, and public transit impact an individual’s ability to work, to participate in community life, and even their ability to manage their health. As research from The Fenway Institute has shown, discrimination against transgender people in public spaces is associated with an increased risk of symptoms of poor health, as well as an increased likelihood to postpone or not seek needed care when sick or injured. It is increasingly clear that good public health is closely connected with the ability to live free from stigma and discrimination. The implementation of this law will mark an important step forward in achieving that goal.
A statement from the AIDS Action Committee Executive Director Carl Sciortino, who originally filed the bill in 2011 when he was a state representative, soon followed:
“Experiencing routine stigma and discrimination is closely related to poorer health outcomes, and it’s one of the reasons why transgender people have higher rates of HIV than the general population. Indeed, in just two weeks, the International AIDS Conference will convene in Durban. The theme of this year’s conference is how to increase access to equity, because it is indisputable that full human rights for all those vulnerable to HIV infection, including transgender people, is necessary for ending AIDS. Here in Massachusetts, implementation of this law will be a very important step toward that goal.”
Over the next few hours and days we expect to hear more from so many! We at Boston Spirit send our similar sentiments to Beacon Hill today. As Freedom Massachusetts’ tweeted earlier today:
“Thank you, @MassGovernor for hearing the stories of #trans Bay Staters, affirming that discrimination is wrong & signing #TransBillMA!”
