Endorsement: Healey & Driscoll for the win; a dream team for Massachusetts

By: TRT’s Editorial Board

As the Massachusetts primaries ended and the general election campaign began, the Democratic ticket reflected a combo many Baystate residents were hoping for, a historic duo to take the reigns of leading the Commonwealth on a progressive path forward that works for nearly everyone — a “slam dunk” as some on our team have called it.

Attorney General Maura Healey and Salem, Mass. Mayor Kim Driscoll have much more in common than just being the first all-female Democratic gubernatorial team to advance to the November ballot. Although that is no easy feat, most importantly, they each have a long-standing record of accomplishments. Each is equipped with unique and countless skill sets. They have already successfully embodied the definition of effective progressive leadership in their respective positions. Healey, if elected, would become the country’s first openly lesbian Governor, one who has already taken on some of the largest special interests as the “people’s lawyer.” Driscoll, herself, a fifth-term Salem Mayor and the first woman elected to the position, lead the city out of crushing debt and thrust an antiquated past time into a future full of prosperity.

Throughout their tenure, The Rainbow Times’ team has covered in-depth stories on the initiatives, perspectives, and issues that impacted millions of residents in Massachusetts, with both candidates at the helm in their respective positions. Unlike some politicians who focus on getting in the game of equal rights just prior to an election cycle, these two women have spent their careers and lives serving not only the general population with brilliance and inclusion but also with an emphasis on defending and representing some of the most marginalized and discriminated against within it.

Housing, health, environment, rights

As a civil rights attorney turned the commonwealth’s Attorney General, Maura Healey has been advocating on behalf of Massachusetts residents since the start. As such, she has successfully taken on industries like Purdue Pharma, ExxonMobil, and predatory student loan lenders to protect Massachusetts’ residents. Among her litany of achievements, those are just the tip of the iceberg of what she has already accomplished.

Massachusetts is divided significantly among affluent residents and those struggling to make ends meet with soaring housing, healthcare, utilities, education, and other basic living costs. Healey & Driscoll are focused on getting the economy working for everyone. The vied positions will take experienced leadership — with their level of knowledge and expertise — and dedication to issues that impact every facet of life, such as taking on the climate crisis while addressing en- vironmental and climate justice, healthcare access, job creation, smart innovation, infrastructure development, and clean transportation, amongst others.

Recognizing the impact of systemic racism in all sectors of society, including the criminal justice system, Healey has already supported criminal justice reform and has committed to tackling issues, such as housing and education, to help prevent entry into the criminal justice system in the first place. She will also ensure that the 2020 police reform bill, which she has also supported, is fully implemented.

Driscoll on character, housing, LGBTQ+ rights

Under Driscoll’s impressive leadership, Salem has thrived as a “worldclass city” with a booming economy, affordable housing development, sustainable plans tackling the climate crisis and rising sea levels affecting the city’s coastal region, and a clear understanding of human rights issues. Driscoll’s tenure as Mayor sends a clear message to the rest of the commonwealth: She can and will get things done and she will do so with compassion, integrity, honesty, and courage.

The Lieutenant Governor candidate does not shy away from adversity. When she encountered dire opposition to an affordable housing proposal, she brought in experts on accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and they substantiated the importance of implementing the affordable structures in other parts of the country. Most importantly, she made sure that those who opposed the measure were fully educated as to what it all entailed, its costs, benefits to all, etc. Knowing how this could alleviate financial pressure on city residents, she did not waver. Her tenacity shows how prepared she is to do the same for issues arising on Beacon Hill.

Driscoll has been a no-nonsense mayor of action. In 2014, Driscoll took on Gordon College (https://is.gd/trtDriscoll2014) by terminating its city contract early when the college policy included discriminatory practices directed toward the LGBTQ+ community, which violated the city’s non-discrimination ordinance enacted earlier that year.

“Gordon’s behavioral policies and their president’s advocacy for the ability to discriminate against LGBT individuals violated both the spirit and letter of that law. In Salem, perhaps more so than most other cities, we have an especially unique understanding of the negative outcomes that can follow from any group of people being singled out for discrimination or stigmatization. Our values are shaped by our history, and it is a legacy that really impels us to stand up and take positive action,” she said to The Rainbow Times in a 2019 exclusive interview (https://is.gd/I4xUPE).

In 2016, when The Rainbow Times’ newspaper box explosion (https://is.gd/uPVA20) occurred in downtown Salem, Driscoll not only offered her support, but she was pivotal in ensuring that the perpetrators were caught, and that justice was served.

One of the first calls the publication management received after the incident was a message from Driscoll, offering her unyielding support to the LGBTQ+ community and the publication itself. Her proactive approach, amplifying her solidarity and commitment to business owners, residents, and the LGBTQ+ community, reverberated the kind of leader Driscoll was then, and is now.

Also under Driscoll, Salem passed Article XVI, the non-discrimination ordinance, which was the first of its kind on the North Shore to include protections for the transgender community, helping to circumvent what most states and local governments are experiencing today as full-blown attacks on members of this community.

It was also under Driscoll that the city’s first Human Rights Coalition (formerly known as the No Place for Hate Committee) was established.

In addition to a long history of inclusive measures and proposals, Driscoll is also the only candidate for Lieutenant Governor that has the expertise of city management, including working with a multi-million-dollar budget, and with a breadth of first-hand experience for what is demanded of such a position day in and day out. We’ve witnessed her grit and perseverance as the Mayor of Salem. We believe she’ll bring that same level of management and determination to the Lieutenant Governor’s office.

Salem has been cultivated into a cultural hub of the arts, utilizing state-ofthe-art technology and development while boasting a booming economy under Driscoll. Since first taking office, Driscoll created thousands of new local jobs and unemployment is the lowest it’s been since 2002, The Rain- bow Times reported (https://is.gd/dmgH7z) in 2017. Thanks to Driscoll’s leadership, Salem has attracted some of the best talent from surrounding cities, such as Boston, largely in part to its attractive lifestyle and inclusion.

Sharing a teamwork approach, both candidates are committed to working together with experts and local communities to help develop plans to ensure effective change. Healey has expressed the importance of building an inclusive approach, rather than a typical top-down hierarchy. We can assume some of those attributes were learned in part when the AG was a point guard for the Harvard basketball team and as a professional ball player overseas, a shared commonality she has with Driscoll who played for Salem State University.

Healey on LGBTQ+ Issues

Other issues critical to a Healey administration are focused on economic

See Healey/Driscoll On Page 7

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SpeakOUT’s Speaker Training centers on LGBTQ+ Stories: Nov. 5th Training at DFCI

BOSTON—Sharing one’s personal story can be an effective way to open minds and challenge ways of thinking – at least that’s been the belief behind SpeakOUT Boston’s mission for 50 years. As the nation’s oldest LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning) speakers bureau, SpeakOUT trains members of the community to tell an effective personal story to share with audiences at schools, colleges, businesses, faith communities, and other venues throughout the greater Boston area and beyond. Registration is now open for SpeakOUT’s Fall Speaker Training

AG Healey joins coalition in support of access to gender-affirming care

Brief Supports Trans Individuals & their Parents Who Were Denied Coverage for Gender-Affirming Care Under the Plan

BOSTON—Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey joined a coalition of 16 attorneys general in filing a brief in support of a group of transgender individuals and parents of transgender individuals denied coverage for gender-affirming care under the North Carolina State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees.

The brief, filed Tuesday in the case, Kadel v. Folwell, argues that the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals should affirm a lower court ruling which determined that the health plan’s denial of medically necessary, gender-affirming care for transgender individuals violates the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The states argue that the that is being hosted in person at DanaFarber Cancer Institute on Saturday, November 5th, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

The training is a one-day experience that gives attendees an intensive preparation for conducting speaking engagements in the region. Participants learn valuable skills such as setting the right tone, shaping and telling a story, overcoming fear, working with your co-speaker, and answering difficult questions. Participants will work in large groups as well as small breakout sessions with experienced speakers to

Read the rest of this story at TheRainbowTimesMass.com ous plan.”

The amicus brief notes the efforts that states joining the filing have made to protect transgender healthcare rights, including prohibiting health care discrimination on the basis of transgender identity and ensuring that state employee health care plans cover medically necessary gender-affirming care. The states have also adopted policies that guarantee non-discriminatory coverage of gender-affirming care for transgender youth. These policies have improved the well-being of transgender people, and reduced the risk of suicide, substance abuse, and depression, without significantly increasing premium costs or expenses to insurers health plan’s denial of coverage “overtly discriminates against members for failing to conform to the sex stereotype propagated” by the health plan.

OF COVERAGE “OVERTLY DISCRIMINATES AGAINST MEMBERS FOR FAILING TO CONFORM TO THE SEX STEREOTYPE PROPAGATED” BY THE HEALTH PLAN.

“Transphobic polices like this deny essential medical care to transgender patients,” AG Healey said. “We are calling on the Court to overturn North Carolina’s discriminatory and danger- and plan sponsors.

In 2014, the Massachusetts Division of Insurance issued guidance stating that “denial of coverage for medically necessary treatment based on an individual’s gender identity” is sex discrimination that is prohibited under state law.

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Boston International Kids Film Festival returns for 10th year:

November 18 - 20, lots of fun

Filmmakers Collaborative Paves the Way for a Future Generation of Creators

BOSTON—The Boston International Kids Film Festival (BIKFF) returns for its 10th annual weekend dedicated to films for kids, by kids, and about kids. Featuring workshops, panel discussions and nearly 80 films from a dozen different countries, BIKFF will run November 18 – 20 at the Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown.

The festival will showcase many films with local ties this year, including a feature documentary chronicling a debate team from Newton that follows a group of girls as they struggle to find their voices in the competitive, maledominated activity of high school debate. The festival’s other two features include a story of four young friends and their struggles growing up queer and a fictional film about ballet starring a local Boston dancer. In addition to regular screenings in two theaters at the Mosesian, the festival will also offer panel discussions for professional filmmakers and acting and stop motion

Read the rest of this story at The Rainbow Times’ website