June 17, 2011
By: John Kerry/TRT Special
Massachusetts has always been a national leader on LGBT civil rights. We’ve proved time and again that our state believes in equality for all of its citizens – and right now the State House is considering an important measure to reaffirm that commitment. This week the Massachusetts Joint Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing to consider the Transgender Equal Rights Bill and I was proud to voice my support for this important legislation. By standing up for this bill and the rights of transgender people, we have a chance, once again, to send a powerful message to the rest of the country that we will continue to lead the way in ensuring equal rights for all.
Discrimination against transgender people is widespread and ignoring it is simply not an option. It’s an especially serious problem in our schools, where we’ve all witnessed the tragic and sometimes deadly consequences of bullying. But discrimination against transgender people isn’t limited to certain age groups and certain environments. It’s everywhere. The statistics are staggering – over three quarters of transgender people have reported some sort of harassment or mistreatment simply because of who they are. The rates for transgender youth are even higher.
However, numbers hardly tell the whole story. They don’t capture the horror of being attacked with a beer bottle on the street or the pain of losing a job after being outed as transgender. They fail to measure the damage every incident has on a person, the burden that every victim of harassment, discrimination, and violence carries with them for the rest of their life. Consider this: nearly four out of ten transgender Bay Staters attempt suicide at some point in their lives, 22 times the rate of the general population. That’s shocking and unacceptable, especially when we have the power to prevent these tragedies.
The Transgender Equal Rights Bill sends a clear signal that we won’t tolerate or ignore discrimination against any of our citizens. The legislation would add “gender identity and expression” to Massachusetts civil rights laws that currently protect people from discrimination because of age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, sex, or marital status. By adding this definition, Massachusetts would join 10 other states and the District of Columbia in protecting people in this important way. Many communities across Massachusetts – from Boston to Amherst – already have this type of protection in place. It’s a simple but important step to guarantee transgender people in Massachusetts the legal protections that so many of us take for granted.
I commend the Massachusetts legislature for considering this critically important legislation. It’s inspiring to see that Massachusetts continues to look for the positive changes we can make to protect and enhance the lives of our citizens. I promise to do everything I can – here and in Washington – to support this legislation and keep fighting for LGBT civil rights wherever they’re challenged.
*Kerry is the Senior United States Senator from Massachusetts.
