Transgender Equality
Everyone should be able to attend school, work and live without fear of discrimination or harm - and yet every day, transgender people are at risk of violence and harassment, or of losing their job or housing, simply because of who they are.
People who are transgender face widespread prejudice, and yet there are no explicit protections in Massachusetts law to help them.
This is unequal treatment, plain and simple - and it's time for Massachusetts to join the 13 other states, Washington D.C., and 81 counties and cities in providing legal protection for transgender people in our state.
In 2009, MassEquality is working with the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition to:
- Pass legislation to add gender identity and gender expression to existing non-discrimination laws affecting employment, housing, credit, public accommodations, public education and hate crimes.
This bill will make the protection of transgender people explicit, uniform, and visible to the general public. It will include gender identity and expression in the state's non-discrimination statute and will amend existing hate crime laws to explicitly protect people targeted for violence and harassment.
This bill would strengthen the Commonwealth's commitment to all people, including those of diverse gender identity and expression, to provide equal protection under the law. It sends a clear message that in Massachusetts, we believe everyone deserves fair treatment and freedom from discrimination, crime and violence.
The time to pass this legislation is now - because our friends in the transgender community can't afford to wait any longer.
