people in Massachusetts. To date, Massachusetts still lacks
protections against gender identity/expression discrimination. This
lack of protection hurts all Bay Staters, especially transgender
youth and adults.
The Bill to Fix It
State Reps. Carl Sciortino and Byron Rushing and State Senator Ben
Downing will re-file An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and
Hate Crimes this year. If passed, the act will explicitly,
uniformly and publicly protect all Bay Staters from gender
identity/expression discrimination and amend existing hate crimes
laws to ensure that gender-based crimes are dealt with
effectively.
What You Can Do
Start by calling your state representative and state senator,
asking him/her to sign on as a co-sponsor of the bill.
Co-sponsorship shows support for the bill and will raise visibility
of the issue as the year progresses. In times like these, we cannot
afford to let discrimiation affect anyone’s health or security. Do
your part by making two phone calls today!
How Do I Call?
Start by making sure you know who your representative and senator
are. Visit http://www.wheredoivotema.com. Type in the address
where you are registered to vote, then scroll down to find your
“Senate in General Court” and “Rep in General Court”. Click on
their names for contact information, and there you have it!
Want a Script for Your Calls?
From the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition:
When you call the number for your Representative/Senator, you will
be connected to a receptionist. You will most likely be talking to
your Representative/Senator’s legislative aide, which is fine. This
person will pass the message along to your Representative/Senator
and they will be the one to get back to you. You should call both
your Representative AND Senator–we need both of their support!
CALLING SCRIPT: WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOU CALL
Receptionist: Hello, (name of committee OR name of Senator’s
office).
You: Hello, can I please speak to someone in Representative/Senator
______’s office?
Receptionist: One moment please. (They will transfer your call to a
legislative aide.)
Legislative aide: Hello, Representative/Senator _____’s office.
You: Hello, my name is______, and I am a constituent of
Representative/Senator______.
I am calling because I would like him/her to co-sponsor “An Act
Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes” which is
being filed in the House by lead sponsors Representative Carl
Sciortino and Representative Byron Rushing and in the Senate by
lead sponsor Senator Ben Downing.
Will Representative/Senator______ co-sponsor this piece of
legislation?
IF THE AIDE SAYS YES:
You: That’s great! I really appreciate Representative/Senator
_____’s co-sponsoring this bill.
Please contact (if talking with your Rep) Daniel Glasser, 722-2018,
Daniel.Glasser@state.ma.us in Representative Carl Sciortino’s
office
and/or
(if talking your Senator) Elizabeth Mahony at 617-722-7625,
elizabeth.mahony@state.ma.us in Senator Ben Downing’s office to
sign on as co-sponsor.
Thank you!
(Then let MTPC know about your successful call on our website at
www.masstpc.org or via email info@masstpc.org or by calling
617-778-0519 so MTPC can keep track of who our allies are!)
IF THE AIDE SAYS THAT THEY NEED TO CHECK WITH THEIR
BOSS:
You: Would it be helpful for you to have more information? I have a
fact sheet that I can email to you. (You can download a fact sheet
from http://www.masstpc.org/legislation to email them.)
Legislative aide: Thanks that would be great.
You: What is your email address? Ok, I’ll send you that email
today. Would you please give me a call back once you talk to the
Representative/Senator and let me know what they decide?
Legislative aide: Sure.
You: When should I expect to hear back from you?
Legislative aide: (Gives time frame.)
You: Great! I’ll look forward to hearing back from you by (repeat
time frame back to them). Thanks for your time.
IF THE AIDE SAYS NO:
You: Thank you for your time. Can I send you some more information
about this bill for the Representative/Senator? (If they say yes,
say “What is your email address? Ok, I’ll send you that email
today.” You can download a fact sheet from http://www.masstpc.org/legislation to email them.)
AND REMEMBER
Always be polite! This is a marathon, not a sprint; it takes time
to cultivate allies. Even if they say “no” now, they may still come
around eventually!