Vote “Yes” This November to Uphold Transgender Rights in Massachusetts
BOSTON—As a critical ballot question looms less than five months away, Freedom for All Massachusetts today serves as grand marshal of the Boston Pride Parade and Festival, one of the region’s biggest annual celebrations of LGBTQ people and culture.
“On Pride, we celebrate our home of Massachusetts which has always been a beacon of hope and happiness for LGBTQ people around the world who have come here to build their lives and take care of their families,” said Kasey Suffredini, co-chair of Freedom for All Massachusetts. “It’s evident from the hundreds of thousands of people attending today’s parade that support for equality isn’t limited to the LGBTQ community—it’s a part of the fabric that makes up our state. As we celebrate, we must also remember the critical fight that looms before us on our transgender nondiscrimination law—a fight that threatens our state’s reputation as a place that treats all people fairly. We cannot go backwards in Massachusetts.”
Freedom for All Massachusetts will participate in a pre-parade press conference and media availability at 10:30 a.m. at the intersection of Clarendon and Boylston St., at the starting area of the parade prior to leading the march. The campaign will also participate in the concert and festival at City Hall Plaza.
Massachusetts is the first place in the nation where transgender protections will be up for a vote on a statewide ballot measure. The law, passed in 2016, protects transgender people from discrimination in places of public accommodation such as restaurants, stores, and hospitals. A “yes” vote upholds transgender protections and keeps the law in place. The campaign officially launched last month, and more than 1,000 organizations across the state have joined the coalition in support of upholding the law at the ballot.
Just yesterday, Governor Chris Sununu signed a transgender nondiscrimination bill in neighboring New Hampshire, making it the 19th state across the country and the final state in New England to ensure comprehensive nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people.
Freedom for All Massachusetts is the coalition working to uphold the state’s current nondiscrimination protections for transgender people in public places like restaurants, retails shops and hospitals, ensuring that Massachusetts continues to be a national leader on equality and fairness for all. A November 2018 ballot referendum will ask voters whether they want to retain the law, which has been effective since July 2016.
[From a News Release]
