Sciortino
filed the bill, called "An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination
and Hate Crimes," this January with 104 legislative cosponsors,
including Speaker of the House Robert A. DeLeo. "We hope to get this
bill in the Governors office as fast as we can," says Sciortino.

With
overwhelming support in both the House of Representatives and the State
Senate, this bill will likely pass the floor vote with ease. "A lot of
our legislators and cosponsors are very proud to push forward this
civil rights bill," explains Sciortino.

The bill, if it passes
into law, will incorporate gender identity and expression in the
Massachusetts' non-discrimination statute. It will also explicitly
protect transgender citizens who have been the victims of violence and
harassment. Perpetrators of hate crimes against transgender citizens
will be subject to the same penalties as those who commit hate crimes
for race, religion, or disability.

Currently Boston and
Cambridge have citywide laws protecting transgender citizens from
discrimination but there is no such state law.

According to
the Massachusetts transgender Political Coalition (MTPC), between 2002
and 2006, 6.3% of hate crimes in the national Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender community were towards transgender people, which is a
surprisingly high number given the small size of the transgender
population.

In the greater Boston area fewer than 25% of
transgenders are employed full time and only 20% have part time work.
In all, 55% of transgenders claim to have been homeless at one time or
another. This new bill will ensure that transgender citizens will not
lose their jobs or be denied employment because of their gender
expression.

"This bill will make explicit the commonwealth's
commitment to providing people of diverse gender identities and
expressions equal protection under the law," says the MTPC website, "It
will guarantee transgender and gender non-conforming people the
opportunity to contribute to their communities and to the local
economy."

Washington D.C. and thirteen states have already
enacted similar laws to protect transgenders from discrimination in the
work place and on the street. But in spite of the growing support for
such laws there are some who oppose extending this civil right to
transgenders.

Unofficially dubbing these laws "Bathroom
Bills," many opponents claim that by allowing equal civil rights to
transgenders, governments will soon have to open all bathrooms to both
men and women. The underlying fear is that the bill will become a means
for sex offenders and other criminals to defend their crimes.

"This
is a bill that has generated some level of controversy," says
Sciortino, "But this is a civil rights bill plain and simple. This bill
will not protect criminals."

Sciortino has known people who
are transgender in his lifetime. He believes it is unacceptable that
they receive no protection from violence and discrimination in state
law; that their civil rights are not protected. But Sciortino has high
hopes that "An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate
Crimes" will pass soon and ensure the rights of many unprotected
Massachusetts citizens.

"Having Massachusetts pass this
legislation will be a good thing," Sciortino explains. "It will put our
state on the forefront of the contemporary civil rights movement."