Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on the Judiciary H. 1589/S. 643

Three weeks ago Massachusetts Joint Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing on H. 1589/S. 643, the Equal Access Bill, a bill to add public accommodation to the gender identity and expression anti-discrimination statute. When the law was passed a couple of years ago public accommodation was dropped from the bill at the last minute, this law will add public accommodation to the law.

Legislature to reconsider bill protecting transgender access to public accommodations
Boston.Com
Posted by Jeremy C. Fox
July 8, 2013

Levi [Jennifer Levi, director of the Transgender Rights Project at GLAD] said access to housing is often an issue for transgender people, and finding a safe place to stay is especially important because LGBT young people are disproportionately likely to become homeless.

That’s one reason Levi and other transgender advocates hope this will be the year the state Legislature will pass a bill that would protect the access of transgender people to public accommodations, including “hospitals, public transportation, nursing homes, supermarkets, retail establishments, and all other places open to the public.”

Of course the opposition were posturizing that it was the “bathroom bill” all over again,

Opponents of the bill say it would improperly give men access to women’s private spaces.

“We believe in the safety, the privacy, and the modesty of all citizens, and we believe this legislation would violate that,” said Kris Mineau, president of the Woburn-based Massachusetts Family Institute.

They always preach doom and gloom of rapists and perverts using the bill as an excuse to use the women’s bathroom. The first gender inclusive anti-discrimination law was passed in 1975 in Minneapolis and since then there has been no cases of anyone using the law to commit a crime.

Boston mayor said,

In a letter to the chairs of the Judiciary Committee, Mayor Thomas M. Menino said he signed a similar ordinance guaranteeing access within the City of Boston in 2002 and asking them to support the current bill.

Here is Jennifer Levi’s testimony…