Lawmakers in Massachusetts on Friday
advanced two transgender protections bills.
The bills, which would allow
transgender people to use the public bathroom consistent with their
gender identity, cleared the Legislature's Judiciary Committee.
Senate President Stan Rosenberg, a
Democrat from Amherst, said in a statement that his chamber would
debate the issue on May 12.
“It is imperative that legislators
get a bill to the Governor's desk as quickly as possible to end
discrimination under the law for all transgender individuals,” he
said.
House Speaker Robert DeLeo, a Democrat
from Winthrop, also supports the legislation.
The bills, a House version and a Senate
version, are nearly identical, Mass
Live
reported.
Republican Governor Charlie Baker
expressed tepid support for the bills after refusing to say whether
he would sign the legislation into law.