Bay State to see first-ever lobby day for trans equality

On May 15 the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) and the Gay and Lesbian Labor Activist Network (GALLAN) and their supporters will converge on Beacon Hill to ask lawmakers to support the transgender employment non-discrimination and hate crimes bill. The lobby day will mark the first time lawmakers have ever been lobbied on a statewide trans-related bill, and MTPC co-chair Gunner Scott said MTPC and GALLAN hope the effort will give the two groups a much better sense of where lawmakers stand on the legislation, which was introduced this session by state Reps. Carl Sciortino (D-Somerville) and Byron Rushing (D-Boston) and Sen. Jarrett Barrios (D-Cambridge).

"That's a definite big point of doing this, to assess where we need to do education what types of education we need to do, just get the pulse of the State House," said Scott.

The lobby day will begin at 10 a.m. in room 350 in the State House, and MTPC and GALLAN will do a brief training to help people get comfortable talking with legislators. Then attendees will disperse throughout the building, visiting their state representatives and senators and asking them to support the new legislation. Scott said MTPC activists will pair up with attendees to provide them with support as they lobby.

"We're providing all the materials they'll need to give to legislators and their staff, and we're going to send people off in teams so they won't be alone," said Scott.

MTPC is recruiting a broad base of people to lobby for the bill, including the trans community, their family members, and LGBT and straight allies. Scott said MTPC and GALLAN hope to send the message that there is a large constituency, both trans and non-trans, within the state who support the pro-trans legislation.

The lobbying will run from 10 a.m. until noon. For those unable to attend, Scott said MTPC is urging people to call or write letters to their representative and senator on or after May 15 asking them to support the legislation.

Scott said for many of the lawmakers the lobby day will be the first time they have specifically addressed transgender issues, but he said he expects even some lawmakers new to trans issues to respond favorably to efforts to include transgender people in the state's non-discrimination and hate crimes laws.

"I think for some lawmakers talking about the issues of discrimination and fairness is something they've talked about before, and this is just another group of people to talk about [with respect to those issues]," said Scott.

For more information on the MTPC/GALLAN lobby day, visit www.masstpc.org or call 617.983.0219.