In just under three weeks, voters in Massachusetts are going to undertake an enormous responsibility. You who share this state with me will be deciding whether I, as a transgender person, and those like me, are going to be subjected to legal banishment from public spaces or whether we are going to be allowed to remain equal citizens before the law.
I feel fairly confident that the people in my state will make the right decision. Freedom For All Massachusetts has out-raised its opponents by about an 8 to 1 margin. Recent polling suggests that roughly 3/4ths of voters in this state are planning to vote yes on Question #3, but are confused about what their yes vote might mean.
The Secretary of State’s internet page with summaries of the ballot questions as they will appear on the ballot provides the simplest explanation of the measure’e effects:
“A YES VOTE would keep in place the current law, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity in places of public accommodation.
“A NO VOTE would repeal this provision of the public accommodation law.”
So, yes: this is Massachusetts’ “bathroom bill”, and it’s what I’ve come to expect from the good people of this state — a resounding “hell yes!” and a bracing hug to those of us who need this kind protection under the law, because even here, unfortunately, there are those who consider me a threat. Fortunately, I know that for the most part the people of this state have my back.
Even so, we can’t take a victory for granted. Throwing money at a campaign does not guarantee a victory at the polls. Strongly positive poll numbers can dissipate, or may be inaccurate. So I’m making this plea.
Please vote YES on Question #3. Help this state continue to be one of the safest places in the world for people like me. Understand that a loss on this referendum will create a backlash domino effect that will have repercussions against trans folk in places far distant from this state.
Massachusetts has, and has always had, an orientation towards justice and the power of moral leadership. Remember that same-sex marriage, which began here in 2004 with Goodridge v. Department of Public Health culminated in the Supreme Court of the United States echoing Goodridge with their decision in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015, declaring that same sex marriage is guaranteed by the 14th amendment to the US Constitution. Question #3 is no different. If the electorate of this state ratifies it, the justice it represents will resound throughout the nation for trans people everywhere.
For all of us who have so much at stake, make your way to the polls this November 6th and, along with all of the other ways in which we must repudiate the encroaching of fear, suspicion, and bigotry that is so starkly and startlingly on the rise in this country, add your vote to the rolls of those who stand with us, to defend our humanity and our right to be safe in public spaces.
Thank you.
Broadcast From the Brain Radio 