Posted on 11/18/2011 3:11:52 PM PST by NYer
BOSTON, November 17, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Massachusetts legislature has passed a bill that elevates cross-dressing or transgendered individuals to a protected class, and grants universal access to sex-segregated areas such as bathrooms based on personal “gender identity or expression.”
The measure, known as the “Transgender Equal Rights Bill” (H. 502 in the House and S. 764 in the Senate) passed the upper chamber on Wednesday in a voice vote. It’s unclear when the bill will receive final approval votes and be signed into law by Democrat Gov. Deval Patrick, a strong gay rights supporter.
The bill inserts “gender identity” as a protected class under the state’s hate crime law, and also makes it so that a school or other business would be violating the law if it rejected an applicant because he or she was a crossdresser.
The pro-family activist group Mass Resistance said the bill would have far-reaching negative effects for traditional values in the public square, most notably in schools.
“Imagine finding that your day-care provider, second-grade teacher, waiter, school bus driver, store clerk, etc. is blatantly a man wearing a skirt and lipstick, possibly with hormone-enhanced breasts,” wrote the group on its website regarding H. 502. “Under this bill it would be illegal for any employer (or school principal) to decide for himself whether this is proper, or objectionable, or immoral. You would have no choice: the state will have decided for you.”
The measure also decrees that the right to “gender identity and expression” is a “civil right.” A provision stating that all “sex-segregated facilities ... shall grant persons admission to and the full enjoyment of such facilities ... consistent with their gender identity or expression” was removed from the measure at the last minute.
However, Mass Resistance suggests that the purpose of the missing language, which would have allowed cross-dressing persons to enter the bathroom of their choice, is met by other provisions of the bill.
“Although the public accomodation statutes were taken out, there was almost a complete overlap with the statutes left in the bill,” said the group. “For example, by including the scope of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) all businesses, public accommodations, locker rooms, and rest rooms are clearly affected—probably even to a greater extent than under the public accommodation laws.”
Those who violate the non-discrimination rules face up to a $2,500 fine and a year in prison.
Massachusetts governor’s office contact page
This article was corrected to note that the “bathroom” language was removed from the bill, although its effects are believed to remain.
We’ve already had this BS law in Gainesville, FL for a while now.
Like I said many times; That state needs to have the ‘M’ removed from it’s name pronto.
How many Catholic sheep vote Democrat in Ma, because they are too lazy to think or read and and presume it is 1880?
But what if a man thinks he’s a transgendered woman. That is, a man who thinks he’s a woman who thinks herself a man. Can I just walk into the ladies room?
No, it's not the water. This actually used to be a decent place to live, at least where I grew up, but that was a long time ago. I could probably say that the overlap between academia and politics, especially in this state, is part of the problem, but that doesn't even begin to explain it, nor does history, immigration, and culture. What I do know is that liberty is inversely proportional to population. That is, the more people you have, the less liberty you have, and it is a momentum that is unstoppable. I'd be willing to bet that whatever state you live in, there are pockets of areas that are just as liberal as Massachusetts, and they are only going to grow. Things like this happen a little quicker here but mark my words, the rest of the country is not far behind.
Yes, but GLTF people are so bigoted against people who simply want to have loving sexual relations with animals. They are such beastophobes! /s
Libtard hypocrisy has no end, only the end game. And the leaders on our side are too stupid to use it against them.
Time and time again, Republicans let potential wedge issues evaporate -- because of an unwillingness to deal with the lesser political caste, one presumes -- but are always so willingly played and pwned as doofuses when wedge issues are worked the other way around.
Wow..Just what the world needs in time of economic crisis and social meltdown. More trannies and crossdressers and more laws to protect them. Elected officials using their time wisely......WTH has happened to my country?
Mass. will soon name pedophilia and beastiality protected classes. These are, afterall, nothing more than sexual preferences.
"What if you’re a man who identifies as a tomboy?"
All of that would be OK, as long as there's no "cutting off" of private parts, or any of that breast-enhancing stuff!
Afterall, I'm just there for the scenery... :-)
If I’m sent to prison can I decide that I identify as a woman and go to the women’s prison?
That's a hoot...but that could be a scary thing too. Have you ever watched any of those women's prison news reports? Scary stuff.
Indeed. I’ve heard that women’s prisons generally are worse than men’s prisons for the simple reason it generally takes a lot more for a woman to be sent to prison than a man. Juries tend to be more willing to acquit women than men so if a woman goes to prison there has to be a much stronger case for her criminality. Hence, more hardened criminals percentage-wise in a typical women’s prison than in a typical men’s prison.
Don't you know that it's only a waste of time if a politician OPPOSES the homosexual agenda?
When they SUPPORT it,they're "champions of social justice"!
Oh,boy! That "truce" on social issues that some RINO's call for just seems like a better idea every day!
After all,what's a better winning strategy than driving away a third of your base by pandering to people that'll NEVER vote for you anyway?
My ymca locker room has a lot of women who feel that its okay to parade around naked in front of other women. If I catch a glimpse of somthing private in the locker room it doesnt phase me, but the whole stark naked thing freaks me out.
If women can do this in a women’s locker room, I shudder to think of a transexual in a locker room, feeling like he’s a woman but still has the “equipment” flashing all the women as blatantly as they do each other. I already dislike women baring all in locker rooms, I do not want to see mutilated men in there too.
She’d probably leave one hell of a mess,unless it was high up enough that she could sit on it as if it were a toilet.
I can’t see myself getting undressed in front of a man in the locker room,even if he thinks he’s a woman and is dressed like one and is living as one.
WTH? What about making heterosexuals a protected class?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.