The Transgender Community in Western New England: Part Three
Tina Antolini
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wfcr/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1340734 (http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wfcr/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1340734)
AMHERST, MA (2008-08-14) More than one bill languished in the legislative session that just ended in Massachusetts, including a bill that would have added "gender identity and gender expression" to Massachusetts' anti-discrimination and hate crimes laws. The bill is aimed at protecting people who identify with a gender other than the one on their birth certificate. The transgender community maintains that current laws regarding sexual orientation don't protect them. Legislation providing similar protections in Connecticut passed the senate, but didn't clear the house. In the final part of our series on the region's transgender community, WFCR's Tina Antolini reports on the debate over these bills, and why advocates think they stalled in the legislature.