Transgender Rights at Risk in Massachusetts

Voters Will Be Asked on November Ballot Whether to Continue Protecting Transgender Neighbors from Discrimination

By Mason Dunn and Kasey Suffredini

Our state’s reputation at the forefront of the LGBTQ equality movement has a distinguished place in history, but faces a serious threat this year. This November, voters in Massachusetts will be presented with a ballot question regarding whether to uphold our state’s existing transgender nondiscrimination law. A “yes” vote will protect the law from repeal and solidify Massachusetts as a state that values inclusiveness and acceptance.

Credit: Courtesy of Freedom for All Massachusetts.

The passage of the law in 2016 was historic, even by Massachusetts standards. It took nearly a decade to update our laws to explicitly protect transgender people from discrimination in public places such as restaurants, shops, medical offices, and, yes, public restrooms and locker rooms. We celebrated as Governor Charlie Baker signed the legislation into law, knowing that finally our friends, coworkers, and neighbors who are transgender, and both of us, could finally live our lives with the same dignity and respect everyone else expects. Whether going to the mall, attending a movie, or visiting a hospital, transgender people were finally afforded the same basic protections everyone else enjoys.

It didn’t take long after the passage of the law for opponents of transgender rights to strike, gathering the low threshold of signatures necessary to place the law on the November 2018 ballot for repeal, placing Massachusetts at the epicenter of the transgender rights movement in America.

Repealing this law would not only have a disastrous impact on our friends and neighbors who are transgender here in Massachusetts, but would give opponents of transgender equality traction in their attempt to roll back protections across the nation. The ballot question here this November will be the first statewide ballot question on transgender protections in American history. The stakes are as high as they come.

Transgender people, including the thousands of young people who identify as transgender, deserve to live and grow up in a state that affirms who they are, and that goes to the lengths necessary to protect them from discrimination. With so much divisiveness in our national politics, it has become increasingly clear that our state laws are the first, and at times only, line of defense for the LGBTQ community.

We know we cannot take a win for granted this November. Our opponents attempt to evoke fear in voters through misinformation and misleading narratives; and, the truth is, for those who don’t know a transgender person, their message can be effective. The good news is we have a plan to bring the truth to voters. The facts are clear: 18 states and more than 250 cities across the nation – including Boston, Salem, and Worcester – have established transgender nondiscrimination ordinances or laws, and there has been no uptick in public safety incidents. These laws do not make our communities any less safe.

Our coalition includes the state’s law enforcement associations, safety advocacy groups, more than 250 businesses, 350 clergy and congregations, 11 labor unions representing more than 750,000 families, and every major professional sports team in New England.

Now is the time to mobilize. Our coalition is executing a robust campaign to provide voters with the critical information they need to make the right choice on election day. Will you join us in this movement to uphold transgender rights?

Our campaign – Freedom for All Massachusetts – is powered by volunteers who work with us to reach voters on the phone and at their doorstep. This is how we will win, reaching one voter at a time. Learn more by visiting us at www.FreedomMA.org and help us make history again here in Massachusetts. We also have resources available on our website to help people in their discussions with friends, family, and co-workers. Every conversation helps.

The time volunteers dedicate to this effort is essential to solidifying Massachusetts’ place at the forefront of LGBTQ equality.

Credit: Hurley Event Photography.

Mason Dunn is Co-chair of Freedom for All Massachusetts and Executive Director of the Mass Trans Political Coalition, a nonprofit advocacy group working to end discrimination on the basis of gender identity.

Credit: Hurley Event Photography.

Kasey Suffredini is Co-chair of Freedom for All Massachusetts and President of Strategy for Freedom for All Americans.