Issue Position: LGBTQIA+ Rights

Issue Position

I WILL WORK TO UPHOLD LGBTQIA+ RIGHTS

In this current political climate, the LGBTQIA+ community is particularly vulnerable. I support the rights of LGBTQIA+ individuals and will work to uphold them. Massachusetts has always been a leader for LGBTQIA+ rights and was the first to legalize gay marriage as a result of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health on May 17, 2004. We must work today to protect LGBTQIA+ people around issues of marriage and family-building, health care---including mental health care, and youth homelessness.

I STAND FOR THE PROTECTION OF TRANSGENDER RIGHTS

The Transgender Accommodations Law (Bill S.24027), which was signed into law a little over two years ago and took effect on Oct 1, 2016, prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity in public accommodations. It allows individuals to utilize gender-segregated restrooms or locker rooms based on their gender identity.

There is a referendum on this year's ballot that seeks to overturn this law. This step backwards on transgender rights is not the right move for Massachusetts. A "yes" vote on this referendum ballot will keep this law in place.

This is taking place in an environment in which almost two-thirds (65 percent) of Massachusetts' transgender people report experiencing discrimination in public spaces in the past year, and 17 percent of transgender people were living in poverty in 2015, compared to 11.5 percent of the general population.

I will lend my support to protecting this law during my campaign, and after I'm elected I will support the protection of transgender people.

LGBTQIA+ COUPLES HAVE THE RIGHT TO ADOPT CHILDREN

I am proud that in our state adoption agencies are explicitly prohibited from discriminating against prospective adoptive parents based on sexual orientation. I will resist efforts from any sources or at any level of government to impinge on the rights of LGBTQIA+ couples to adopt children.

I WILL ADVOCATE FOR LGBTQIA+ HOMELESS YOUTH

A new report from Boston Indicators and The Fenway Institute finds that young Massachusetts residents are much more likely to self-identify as LGBTQIA+ than in previous generations, but they still feel many of the social pressures and discrimination of the past. The report, Equity and Equality: Advancing the LGBT Community in Massachusetts, released in May of this year, found that despite the remarkable positive momentum for LGBTQIA+ communities in public and social spheres, LGBT youth in Massachusetts were more than twice as likely as their non-LGBT peers to say they have extended periods of sadness or helplessness. Nearly half of LGBT youth say they have considered attempting suicide, 35% had devised a plan, and 25% of LGBT youth say they had attempted suicide--5 times the rate of non-LGBT youth.

According to the 2013 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey, approximately 14.5% of LGBTQIA+ were homeless, compared to 3.3% of their peers. Further, 68% of homeless LGBTQIA+ were unaccompanied, meaning that they do not live with a parent or legal guardians. Findings point to LGBTQIA+ youth of color being particularly at risk, with national studies showing 65% of homeless individuals identifying as a racial minority.

To address these and the other serious concerns of LGBTQIA+ youth, I will work to implement the recommendations of the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQIA+ Youth. I support the greater investment in programs focused on providing needed supports for LGBTQIA+ youth of color, and continued training, policies, and advocacy efforts needed to protect and improve the lives of transgender people in the state.

I WILL FIGHT FOR ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FOR TRANSGENDER PEOPLE

Nationally, 20-25% trans/gender non-conforming people have been denied health care, report being subjected to harsh or abusive language from a health care professional, and report being blamed by health care professionals for their own health care conditions. Transgender people report the highest rates of discrimination and barriers to care among LGBTQIA+ people. Outside of Boston, transgender people in Massachusetts have difficulty finding sympathetic healthcare providers and experience being turned away from emergency rooms. They are often afraid to disclose their transgender identity to insurers for fear of facing exclusion in or loss of their health care coverage. Federal and Massachusetts law prohibits discrimination in health services on the basis of gender. I will fight to make sure these laws are enforced and that all people have equal access to health care.

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