Transgender rights bill continues to languish in legislature
Massachusetts’s reputation as a leader on social issues is facing a tough challenge in the form of a transgender rights bill that continues to stall in the state legislature, The Boston Globe reports.
The bill, which would protect transgender people from discrimination in public accommodations, has the support of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, business executives, and many others. But ambivalence from Gov. Charlie Baker and state representatives has kept the bill from being put up for a vote, the Globe reports.
The bill looks to remain stalled without a vote for the foreseeable future, too. The legislature is currently on winter recess, and the political dynamics could change next year in light of the pressures of election season.
One problem, as House assistant majority leader Byron Rushing told the Globe, is that supporters of the legislation don’t yet have a succinct response to opponents who fear the law would protect male sexual predators entering women’s bathrooms.
“That’s the main conversation we’re engaged in now: How do you answer what you know, in your gut, is a bad argument?’’ he said. “It’s not easy to have an elevator speech on that one.’’
In the 18 states and 13 Massachusetts cities that have enacted the transgender protection bill, there have been no documented cases of someone using the law to assault someone in a bathroom, the Globe notes.
You can read the full story at The Boston Globe.
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