Passing the Transgender Bill

Update: July 6, 2016

Pleased to report that House and Senate conferees have agreed on a compromise on the relatively minor differences separating the House and Senate versions of the transgender bill. I’m very grateful for the support of the Senate President and the House Speaker for this legislation. I was very honored to be one of the conferees and to play my small part in the advancement of human rights. Looking forward hopefully to seeing the bill on the Governor’s desk as soon as tomorrow. You can view the conference report here.

Update: July 8, 2016

The Governor has signed the bill. It is the law and will take full effect on October 1.

Last week, the Senate voted 33-4 to approve legislation extending to transgender people the same protections against discrimination in public accommodations that we provide to all other minorities.  The bill now goes to the House for consideration.

There was hot debate over a few amendments that would have diluted the bill (none of which were adopted), but the final vote reflects the strong consensus in support of the bill — most Senators have come to know transgender people through the long fight for the bill and recognize that they have the same needs, hopes and desires that all people do.

Most people who have written to me over the past few months have written in support of the legislation and I thank them for their support.  But there are also some who wrote in opposition to the legislation and I’d like to offer some thoughts here for them.

Public accommodations include hotels, hospitals, restaurants, public transportation . . . essentially all the public places you can think of.  The legislation is about preventing discrimination in all those places.

Public accommodations also include sex-segregated rest rooms and locker rooms, and the legislation makes clear that transgender people should be able use to the facilities consistent with their gender identity.

Some who opposed the legislation are genuinely fearful that “grown men who are predators will now go freely into the ladies room”.  This fear is entirely misplaced and could only be held be people who really have never met or spoken with a transgender person.

Transgender women are not men with wigs – they are women whose birth body doesn’t match their true inner gender identity.  They are not likely predators.  In fact, sadly, all too often they are the victims of predators.  The testimony that we received in the Judiciary Committee was that there have been no reported incidents of abuse by predators of transgender anti-discrimination laws in the many other states and localities that already have them. Further, our criminal laws already provide adequate tools for prosecution of people who misbehave in rest rooms.

Others opposed to the legislation express privacy concerns – “why should a man be allowed in the ladies room to embarrass the ladies?”  Again, this concern reflects a lack of direct contact with transgender people.  A transgender woman is a woman for all behavioral purposes.

The last kind of objection I’ve heard from people is uncharitable – “why should we be making 99% of the people uncomfortable to accommodate such a small minority.”  Polling suggests that at this point, a growing majority of cisgender people are comfortable with transgender people.  But more importantly, America is all about protecting its minorities – our constitutional commitment to protecting minorities is what keeps us from splintering as a country.  The “discomfort” that some people may feel with transgender people pales compared to the daily discrimination that transgender people face.

At the end of the day, the practical considerations are very clear.  The idea that a transgender woman should use the men’s locker room is absurd – it would subject them to humiliation and very real risks.  The alternative, that they should have to go in special facilities just for them is unacceptable – it would make them second class citizens.  The final alternative, that we turn all restrooms and changing facilities into single-user uni-sex facilities, is not at all feasible.

The approach we have taken is right, simple and consistent with American fundamental values.  It will, in a few years, become completely ordinary, as it should be.

 

 

 

 

 

Published by Will Brownsberger

Will Brownsberger is State Senator from the Second Suffolk and Middlesex District.

87 replies on “Passing the Transgender Bill”

  1. Our family deeply appreciates your role in getting this legislation passed. As the mother of a young transgender child, this means the world to us. Thank you!

  2. You seem to be making an argument for upholding constitutional rights. I agree. Constitutional rights are very important to me also. Now, why don’t you go back and re-read OUR 2nd Amendment right. You know, the one enumerated in the Bill Of Rights that says “The rights of the PEOPLE to keep and bear arms SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED”. Obviously you can read. Let’s be consistent.

      1. Yes your referring to militia. Do you know the definition of militia. Any organized or unorganized group..men from 17 to 45 must have their own gun. Gun abilities should be equal to those the militia is being called against.

  3. Thank you, Senator. You make me so proud.
    I was just in the Netherlands and visited a museum where the rest rooms were unisex. No one cared a bit.

    1. Well then we should change all restrooms and locker rooms to unisex. Btw after living in germany, italy and netherlands over 25 yrs not everyone is happy about this.. onky half europe has laws and most require gender reassignment surgury.
      And there have been plenty of non transgender pretending to be and violating people by recording them in the changing rooms and bathrooms.
      Everyone wants to always cite europe as being ahead but they are not according to the tgeu there is less crime against tg in northern american with europe asia being higher and mexico to south america being the highest crime against tg. Sen B has misled peoe with his statements. As so.eone who is truely tg of course isnt there to cause problems they have enough. Its the truy no. Tg pretending to be and or barely pretending to be just to use a ladies room and expose themselves. Happening in washington state and they are not sure how to handle the problems or report on them. I find it funny how americans spent all these yrs protecting womans rights only to undo it again go unisex or dont ad follow what europe does.. tou must have proof of gender reasignment from surgury or memtal health profession not just claim you are

      1. Can you provide a citation from a reputable source for any of your claims?

  4. Most people, INCLUDING MOST TRANSGENDER PEOPLE, think that people with male genitalia (whether born with them or not) should use what are traditionally called the men’s bathroom/shower/locker room and those with female genitalia (whether born with them or not) should use the women’s bathroom/shower/locker room. And in fact, this has been the widely honored custom. It is virtually ONLY the politicians who disagree with this custom.

    The idea that if a person with male genitalia joins women in a shower room then the women have no reason to be very upset because the person with the male genitalia cannot legally assault them and, if sincerely believing to be a woman, won’t likely assault them, is absurd. Women don’t want to be naked in front of a person with male genitalia, period; and it is wrong to say that this makes them bigots.

  5. I see the bathroom aspect of this proposal to cross the line. Women and girls have a right to the expectation of privacy in restrooms from anyone having male sexual anatomy. Majority should rule here. More women and girls will be offended by the passing of this law than transgenders if not. Who’s going to select who’s legally a true transgender? What about bi-sexuals? This creates a legal loophole and a public safety nightmare for police trying to keep sexual predators out of ladies rooms. This really opens up a major can of worms that need not have been addressed. Don’t we have much bigger problems to spend time on. This aspect of the proposal is very selfish of LGBTQ to have asked for and will surely cause them undue public backlash.

    1. David Benoit, as a woman I am not concerned with anyone who has transitioned, nor who is in the process of transitioning, to be able to use a ladies room, which by the way has separate stalls. I don’t know a single female who is opposed to this bill. As a man, are you really that insecure in thinking that someone with female genitalia who is transitioning to a male identity cares about you/your business in a bathroom? Please don’t spread your own insecurities by speaking/speculating what women want. Learn the facts, there hasn’t been a single instance of a transgender predator and they are frequently victimized. There is other important stuff and the reason there is so much polarization on issues is because of limited beliefs/misunderstandings and not walking in the shoes of someone else. Kudos to the Senator for studying the issue (and others), articulating it clearly and for creating win-win results.

      1. I kow women who are opposed and why not do what has also been occuring. Unisex bathrooms. Why bother separating at all.

    2. Why do you think it’s only women who deserve privacy in bathrooms? I am for this bill, but I’m wondering why you chose to only point out women’s right to privacy and this idea that they need places free of male anatomy, as if men need not a similar place.

      Also not sure you understand the difference between trans and bisexual. Bisexuals are attracted to both sexes, which has nothing to do with what bathroom they use or their genitalia.

  6. Thanks for the clearly reasoned support, Will. Transgender people face so many hurdles in life, from lack of understanding from family, friends and the public, to self-understanding and self-acceptance. Being able to use public facilities safely and without discrimination doesn’t need to be one of those challenges. I’m glad you and the Senate did the right thing. I hope the House and the Governor follow suit.

  7. I see this as a social issue whose time has come (out) and has to be worked through, and I thank Will for his leadership and clarity. However, I don’t understand why Obama had to trump the conversations going on by issuing federal guidelines that predictably stirred up a hornet’s nest. I thought it was quite premature to do that and, even though the treatment of TG people is a matter of justice and civil rights, his preemptory action has vectored political conversations away from more pressing issues.

    1. Obama’s PURPOSE was to stir up a hornet’s nest: it’s divide-and-rule. Virtually no ordinary people think someone with male genitalia should use the women’s shower area. Only liberal politicians. But the conservative politicians in places like North Carolina help the divide-and-rule by passing a “conservative” law that requires a transgender person with male genitalia (that they did not have when born) to use the women’s shower area–also not what people want. Most people, including transgender people, say the policy should remain what the long standing informal custom has been–people with male genitalia (born with them or not) use the men’s facilities, and vice versa.

  8. Thank you for your thoughtful response to and for your support of this bill.

  9. Thank you, Will, for this great explanation. People seem to forget, or be unaware, that they have been using the restroom with transgender people for a long time–they just didn’t know it. Nothing will change for cisgender people but transgender people will know that the law is behind them as they navigate what is sometimes a very real struggle to feel safe and comfortable in simply using a restroom.

  10. It is good that you are taking a preemptive strike against those who are trying to unsettle settled rights.

  11. You suck! Their identity is their birth. You can’t change chromosomes or put on make up. WTF is wrong with you! Stupid libertards. You are so out of office. It’s not discrimination… It’s fuckin perversion . You suck!

    1. Wow. I guess I’ll have to try to vote for the Senator twice to make up for the loss of your vote. Rants like this don’t make up for a good discussion.
      Sincerely,
      A libertard (new word for me 🙂

  12. > Some who opposed the legislation are genuinely fearful that “grown men who are predators will now go freely into the ladies room”. This fear is entirely misplaced and could only be held be people who really have never met or spoken with a transgender person.

    I think you misunderstand the objection here. The critics are imagining deviant hetero males forcing their way into women’s rooms by pretending to be Transsexuals. I have no idea what the numbers might be here, but of course people are infinitely weird.

    1. I do understand this flavor of the objection. What I am saying is (a) it just hasn’t been reported; (b) if it did happen, we have adequate tools to prosecute it and this law doesn’t take those tools away.

      1. Maybe no instances of such crimes to date, but time will tell if cross-dressing perverts will try to exploit this situation. We do have laws against that, but to the extent it gets reported, this legislation’s supporters will be tarred for enabling it. That’s the fear that seem to drive the most strenuous objections here. We who support the measure should be prepared to deal with that kind of blowback.

        1. There are.tons of incidents of this going on for decades already.why is it so hard to google police reports

  13. Dear Senator Brownsberger,

    I am opposed to the transgender bathroom bill.

    Robert Scanlon
    Watertown, Ma.

  14. “Some who opposed the legislation are genuinely fearful that “grown men who are predators will now go freely into the ladies room”. This fear is entirely misplaced and could only be held be people who really have never met or spoken with a transgender person.”

    It’s not the transgenders that we have to worry about, it’s the rapists among us.Isn’t that clear???
    *********Don’t conflate the issue.*************

  15. Will, your comments in this post should be etched into an obelisk somewhere and made permanent for everyone to see. Thanks for your incredibly thoughtful response to this issue of fairness and justice. We feel so fortunate to have you representing us.
    Dave Nuscher and Dave Sullivan
    Belmont

  16. I’ll add my support. I have never understood kneejerk reaction to an obvious reform that in my opinion is not controversial at all. Who goes to a public restroom hoping to encounter some sort of party?! Most people I have noted in my 73 years, and I’m male, seek privacy in the first place and most restrooms accommodate that privacy very well. If not, walk out.

  17. I am opposed to the transgender bathroom bill. If transgenders are using washrooms and other users are not aware .. so be it. But giving anyone the legal right to use a washroom / locker room without the appropriate anatomy is asking for trouble. Let transgenders continue to sneak into washrooms of their choice, but giving them the right to be evident, even blatant, in washrooms, locker rooms, and showers is INSANITY. Esp. in schools. Hurrah for Texas and North Carolina and every state who stands up for sanity. btw A trip to Key West will give people an idea of what could start happening. I have voted consistently Democratic. I always vote for you, Senator Brownsberger, but I will vote AGAINST anyone who backs this absurd bill.

  18. I am opposed to this absurdity. I think our elected representatives should be considered very carefully in the next election. My vote will go to the person(s) showing wisdom versus those small-minded self-interested hacks who go along to get along.

  19. Family Research Council and most NORMAL people do not agree with the brainwashed politicians who cannot see the dangers. I suppose you do not agree with them either.
    They write:
    Parents across the country woke up to a nightmare this morning that most of them never thought possible: their own government trying to shatter the privacy of every child in America. In an announcement entirely fitting with Friday the 13th, the Obama administration is helping voters reach a new threshold of outrage with a decree insisting that every public school force students into the humiliating situation of sharing restrooms, locker rooms, and showers with members of the opposite sex.

    The missive, which came courtesy of the lawless bullies at the Departments of Justice and Education, demands that schools let boys and girls decide for themselves what their gender identity is — and “respect” and “accommodate” their feelings — without so much as parents’ input or medical diagnosis. “A school may not require transgender students to use facilities inconsistent with their gender identity or to use individual-user facilities when other students are not required to do so,” the agencies insist in a “guidance,” which — oh by the way — contradicts federal law. Together with a 25-page document, “Examples of Policies and Emerging Practices for Supporting Transgender Students,” the DOE and DOJ hope to strong-arm districts into violating the government’s own statutes!

  20. Those that were born men should not be allowed in the lady.S room their DNA remains the same regardless who they choose to be enough is enough already,the younger flamboyant gay men makes the rest of us look bad they need to know their place and respect the privacy and rights of the female,Mr Brownsberger this is how so many of them get hurt they get a sec change then want to play with the minds of their johns and everyone don’t go for that they need to identify them selves as men cause that’s what they were born

  21. The issue in my opinion is not as much about giving more rights to transgender than the rest of us. Although, I find adding transgender to the protected class, just like we did for women or people with different ethnicity, is preposterous. Women and their small children are constantly fighting for their health and security. How could they feel safe, knowing that any man dressing as a woman, who is protected by law (by the way), can walk in the bathroom, that supposedly was designated for them. Creating a law that easily can be abused, which could lead to harm the other members of the protected class is absurd.

    In my opinion, the biggest problem with this issue is the timing and how the law could be abused. Most important factor that bothers me about this legislation is that in a country that we are fighting so hard for our security, we should be more careful with creating new laws that could easily be abused by the ones who intend to harm us.

    Politicians should remember, that they are the representatives of the majority as well as the minority. Recently I wonder if they do. Being progressive is good but for heaven’s sake, enough is enough. What is the urgency of this legislative? Give people more time. Let people to sleep on it.

    Senator Brownsberger, I voted for you in the past election, however, in the next election, I hope to find a representative who would remember to represent me, who falls in the category of majority and also is a member of the protected class.

    1. Bizarre behavior, but a fair example.

      The person in this story should be arrested for trespass, peeping, etc. I think the law enforcement response should be strong. The proposed law does not allow this behavior — this joker specifically did not have a gender identity as a woman.

      1. What, in the Mass legislation would determine “legitimate” transgender use from the sick jokers?

        Is it I know it when I see it? Or is it spelled out?

        What does a transgender person have to show to prove they are not some sick joker, or conversely what do the authorities have to show to prove someone is?

        In other words, is the legislation feel good or well thought out?

        1. Massachusetts law already includes a fairly specific definition of transgender:

          Fifty-ninth, ”Gender identity” shall mean a person’s gender-related identity, appearance or behavior, whether or not that gender-related identity, appearance or behavior is different from that traditionally associated with the person’s physiology or assigned sex at birth. Gender-related identity may be shown by providing evidence including, but not limited to, medical history, care or treatment of the gender-related identity, consistent and uniform assertion of the gender-related identity or any other evidence that the gender-related identity is sincerely held as part of a person’s core identity; provided, however, that gender-related identity shall not be asserted for any improper purpose.

          In my view, this language is sufficient to sort out the jokers in a legal context.

          1. That’s a very lame and evasive reply.

            What if the abuses most rational people fear result in the rape or molestation of women or children by men taking advantage of this stupid law?

            It will be COLD COMFORT to them that eventually the law might be “clarified”.

            You also forget that perverts don’t pay attention to “clarifications”. What keeps them at bay now is knowing they will be arrested or ejected immediately if they breach a kind of privacy human beings EVERYWHERE consider “natural”.

            Voting to muddy the waters and give people PRETENDING to be transgender access to women’s restrooms and locker rooms is a shocking evasion of your responsibility to make sure ALL the public is protected.

          2. Sorry, but the definition of transgender hinges on the person”s representing himself or herself as such.

            It is in no way an objective definition that any court could use to DENY a person’s claim to being “transgendered”.

            The proviso about “gender-related identity shall not be asserted for any improper purpose.” is utterly vague and useless as a standard for deciding whether a person is attempting to take advantage of the law, as it has no definition of “improper purpose”.

            As drafted, it cannot have one. All a perp would need as a defense is that he did not “intend” an “improper purpose”.

            Sure, once he has peeped, photoed, listened to, hit on, molested or raped females in a restroom he could be charged for those offenses, but they would be the consequences of this stupid law, which allowed him the right to be there in the first place.

            1. You do understand, John, that transgender woman have endured significant surgery AND take hormone supplements for life? They don’t look like men in wigs. They look like transgender females, and that’s what they are. Females. A man in a wig looks like a man in a wig.

          3. So I can write a Dr note and say I am. Horrible gap in your bill. Just use the law we have
            .. driver lic or state id.

            This is like the back and
            forth on terrorist list and guns.
            Dems-ban everyone.
            Rep-how bout get a judge.to sign off on list and ban.
            Dem-Republicans don’t want.to ban people on terrorist list. Shame on them
            Rep- we just want to use the legal system

            Sound familiar

  22. Thank you, Senator, for a beautiful, lucid, specific and compassionate explanation of this next phase of acceptance for our LGBT brothers and sisters.
    It also reminds us to be patient and accepting of those who are afraid of or angry about this legislation. As you said, it’s a lack of contact. But here in progressive Massachusetts, we run the risk of making these objectors and doubters their own group of second-class citizens. That only makes it worse. So, a gentle plea to those of us who support the legislation to not write off people who oppose it as ignorant. They’re just afraid, and they have yet to meet some transgender folks. Let’s remember to be patient with those who disagree.
    Janet Kenney

    1. Janet, well said. They do have to meet some transgender folks. Many of the trans women I know are WOMEN!! They are gentle and law abiding, and, some of the time, afraid as well. They are the victims, many times. Thanks for your support.

    2. Disagree I know many. They are in local shows and all great people. It’s the pc nonsense. Instead.of using current legal system to change your ID your opening an enormous gap in the law.. hate to say told you so. But most on the side for this are blind as to what the laws leaves wide open.

  23. Those opposing the bill are wrongly labeled as discriminatory. The opposition see this as a public safety issue. The negatives of this bill far outweigh the positives. There are two main issues. Females have a right to feel comfortable and safe in bathrooms and the bill greatly hampers law enforcement from protecting women from those that prey upon them in these very vulnerable places. Police would be unable to determine those loitering in female bathrooms with no criminal intent from those with. Criminals seek victims in secluded places. This bill would create a legal loophole criminals will use to enter female bathrooms. Remember, a suspect need say nothing to defend themselves, making prosecution almost impossible. That’s why 98% of sexual assaulters never go to jail. The burden of proof of a crime is on the prosecution. 68% of sexual assaults, mostly because of the embarrassing stigma, go unreported. That means we will only hear about 32% of the crimes this law could create. Yes, a true transgenger is highly unlikely to commit a sexual assault, but the vast majority of women I know are very uncomfortable with strangers having male anatomy in a bathroom with them. They are even outraged knowing sexual predators will take advantage of the opportunity. I, being a male, have no fear of victimization, but I am very fearful for the females. I arrested criminals, prosecuted criminals, protected citizens, and witnessed the horrors committed against innocent people for 38 years. I know the criminal mind and that their easiest targets are the naïve. For the important reasons I stated, this bill should not be passed.

    1. Dave, I have great respect for your experience — and your deeds — as a police officer.

      If the abuses you fear occur — and there are many people with experience comparable to yours who feel they will not — just one or two prosecutions will clarify the law and bring thing back to the current status quo.

      1. “just one or two prosecutions will clarify the law and bring back to the current status quo” What if it was your mother, sister, daughter that were made to be the victims of this rather weird experiment? How would you feel then?
        We are way overboard on Political Correctness these days while the real issues of economic inequality and political corruption just don’t get any press in our glorious state.

        1. My wife and three daughters all support transgender rights as proposed by this bill. I think their sense of what their safety requires is perfectly sound.

          The reality is that transgender women are themselves routinely the victims of crime and that is the real, daily harm we are trying to end.

        2. Hi Dave – thank you for your service. Another woman (from birth) assuring you that I am perfectly comfortable sharing facilities with my transgender sisters. They are women.

          Let’s give it a bit of time. I think you’ll not hear too much about it, because, in a year it will just be, pardon the pun, business as usual.

          Thanks
          Janet

    2. I agree. Will you are taking a pii.T and alterING it.
      No one said someone who is Transgender causing a problem is the issue. It’s a male who preys ad abuses this loophole and it’s not unfounded. Public police logs highlight this already happens.

      Now I don’t care for Transgender etc . Too me we are all human and deserve to be treated fairly. Why aren’t we just using the same laws as getting a lic or id. If we are born male and feel female and start to identify this way. Then the follow the channels to get.your sex changed legally. Anyone questions. Show your ID.

      Also where are the stats on descrimination towards Transgender people. I have worked in a previous media company with 40% staff being lbgt.. never heard of descrimination. I am su free it happens to all.. but why do we need separate law

      1. For lots of info on abuse and discrimination against transgendered persons, pleAse just Google “abuse and discrimination against transgendered persons….” It really sometimes takes knowing a person who has endured a life time of abuse and discrimination, then made the unthinkably brave choice to undergo massive surgery to finally be at peace to understand who you’re dealing with. i have no fear of my transgender sisters and they are welcome to share the Ladies Room with me. Please try to listen for their voices nearby. Thank you for taking a moment to read this

    3. You are at you your best, Senstor, when you’re speaking to people who don’t agree with you. Your comments here shows a very real compassion for people on both sides of the debate. I’m so glad to be MA, where we are often ahead of the curve in the States in letting others see that it’s safe and good and crucial to treat each other with kindness. Good job.
      Janet

      1. MA is ahead of the curve. Thanks to all for setting examples of human decency.

  24. Depending on how creeps assert their prerogative to molest, maybe we’ll find we need a new law to require panic buttons in public restrooms, showers, and locker rooms, but hopefully not.

    There’s way too much to panic over as it is. Can we move on deal with some more pressing matters please? Women and children already suffer from many problems that the state could do more to alleviate.

  25. Thank you, WIll, for supporting this bill and for maintaining your common sense in the face of absurdity.

  26. Will,
    This is a difficult issue for me and I am sympathetic to the issues raised by Dave Benoit, especially as a father of a daughter. Where I suspect we disagree is where this type of legislation should decided. That said, I support your vote and feel this issue is properly decided at the state level. What works for Massachusetts should not be decided at the national level.

  27. I, too, know many transgender individuals, who I have met through my work as a PFLAG Philadelphia mom. It is my privilege to know these individuals. On a daily basis they meet with a lot of discrimination, abuse and experience fear when they deal with the public (just taking the subway can be very dangerous).
    Sad, but true. Thank you for your support of this very vulnerable segment of our population.

  28. Thank you, Will, for your principled stand on this issue of fundamental human dignity. Gender is so much more complex than simple DNA, and it is a matter of safety for transgender people.

  29. Thank you for supporting transgender rights. My goddaughter, who grew up as my godson, has been struggling all her life to be accepted. This means a lot to me.

  30. There are scores of examples throughout the country of males who look and dress like males but “think” they are women using restrooms and locker rooms.

    These men (and boys) all sincerely think they are women. They do not consider themselves to be acting improperly, so the provision in the law against “improper purposes” does not apply.

    Strange that Will knows very well about these examples, but he ignores them and says there are no such examples. Why is that, Will?

    Something in the Belmont drinking water, folks?

    http://dailysignal.com/2016/02/23/man-allowed-to-use-womens-locker-room-at-swimming-pool-without-citing-gender-identity/

    http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/feb/18/man-undressing-womens-locker-room-fuels-drive-upen/

    http://dailysignal.com/2015/12/21/why-these-high-school-girls-dont-want-transgender-student-a-in-their-locker-room/

  31. My son, a resident in the Boston area, forwarded this to me. Because my husband and I are PFLAG parents and Board Members of PFLAG Philadelphia, he knows how meaningful your work to pull this legislation through is to us, and to all residents in your area. Thank you. We live in Pennsylvania and have a long road to travel state-wide regarding LGBT rights, although Philadelphia proper has done an excellent job in protecting same. As more and more people learn about transgender people they too will be supportive and caring. Thank you again.

  32. Thank you for your steadfast leadership on this bill. Your commitment and clearly aarticulated positions enabled a strong bill to be passed. Thank you for all your efforts to protect transgender females like me.

  33. How about attaching SB 954 to it (fair chances of employment) which is a compatible bill

  34. Senator, thank you for your continued efforts toward social equality.

    In response to all the opposing comments: Women grow up fearing men. Period. I don’t think its unreasonable to say that if a predator has the intention to harm they will always find a way- regardless of the law. As a woman who has been a victim of assault by a cis-man, I will tell you what scares me. Gun laws (or lack thereof) scare me, a justice system that victim blames scares me, the thought of being unable to have access to a safe abortion scares me, rejecting sexual advances from men in fear of what their bruised ego might tell them to do, scares me..
    You know what does not scare me? Being in a bathroom with a transgender woman. She is probably the only one who has more reason to fear men than I do. The idea of a “man wearing a wig” getting off on assault charges by using a gender-based defense just goes to show how little you know, or have cared to find out about, in regards to what it actually means to be a transgender person. The justice system has failed repeatedly to prosecute real predators- just look at Brock Turner. The woman in the stall next to me is the least of my worries.

  35. I cant believe we have come this far. I remember back in the late 60’s early 70’s being thrown out of an apartment I lived in for 5 years, with a 12 hour notice when landlady found out I was TG. I remember living in fear, I remember harassments, rape by the police officers in both vice and plainclothes from 16 years old until I was about 26, then it stopped. Thanks for your support. Nikki Civetti nikkicivetti@gmail.com

  36. Thank you to those who support the TG issue. To those who do not, evidently you do not know any transgendered person. But hey, how I feel about this bathroom thing? If you don’t want to pass it, I have no problem walking into a men’s room and with my big tits and blonde hair and looking very female, and stand next to some gentlemen while I relieve myself, and then pull my skirt down and leave. That makes a lot more sense, right?

  37. As civility is devolving within and outside this country, I am clinging to evidence of our belief in individual human worth. Thank you for standing strong once again, calling us to reason and sanity.

  38. As civility is devolving within and outside our country, I am clinging to protection of individual worth as evidence of our basic sanity. Thank you Senator for once again reaffirming my faith in reason. Your courageous effort is uplifting and inspiring.

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