Scenes from Gov. Baker's first State of the Commonwealth address

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, left, leaves the House Chamber after delivering his State of the State address at the Statehouse in Boston, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016. (Michael Dwyer)

(AP)

By MATT MURPHY

Responding on Thursday to Donald Trump's comments about a North Carolina transgender law, Gov. Charlie Baker sent signals about how he might react to a bill, should it reach his desk, extending protections to transgender individuals in public places, including restaurants and bathrooms.

Trump, appearing at a town hall event on NBC's "Today" show, said North Carolina should "leave it the way it is right now" and let people use the bathroom in which they feel most comfortable.

The new law in North Carolina requires transgender people to use bathrooms that correspond to their gender at birth in state government buildings, public schools and universities.

Baker has already expressed his opposition to the North Carolina law, which also prohibits municipalities from enacting their own bylaws.

But when asked about the Republican presidential frontrunner's comments on one of the country's most hot-button issues, Baker's office released a lengthy statement that went further than he has in the past on the specific issue of bathroom access.

"Governor Baker is pleased Massachusetts public schools adhere to policies that accommodate transgender students' needs and believes employers should also accommodate transgender individuals' needs. The governor supports 2011 transgender protections and believes no one should be discriminated against based on their gender identity, and looks forward to reviewing a bill should the legislature act. Lastly, Governor Baker believes people should use the restroom facility they feel comfortable using," spokeswoman Lizzy Guyton said in a statement.

While the administration stressed that the governor was simply responding to Trump and not declaring support for the public accommodations bill, his comments are sure to be parsed by advocates and lawmakers as House and Senate leaders weigh when or if to bring the bill to a vote on Beacon Hill.

Senate President Stanley Rosenberg has said the Senate will debate the bill in May, while House Speaker Robert DeLeo has said he wants to be sure he has the votes to override a Baker veto, if one might be in the offing, before calling for a vote.

Last week, one of the bill's sponsors Rep. Denise Provost suggested DeLeo was waiting until after the deadline for candidates to declare their intention to run for legislative seats in November to put some members at ease over taking a controversial vote.

Not all transgender rights advocates saw Baker's comment as a positive sign.

Kevin Franck, a former Democratic Party spokesperson and columnist for the LGBT outlet Bay Windows who has been critical of Baker over this issue, read Baker's comments as "damage control" after he was booed last week at a Boston Spirit Magazine networking event.

"He's playing games now to avoid facing the kind of backlash his fellow Republican governors have seen elsewhere, but we know where his heart is. He continues the play the leaders of the LGBT community for fools," Franck said in an email. "The only strategy that will guarantee passage of this important civil rights legislation is to work with Speaker DeLeo and Senate President Rosenberg to win over a veto-proof majority in the legislature. For Freedom Mass or any other group to waste time on Baker is folly, bordering on political malpractice."

Earlier in the day during a radio appearance on WGBH's "Boston Public Radio," Baker did not go as far as his statement issued later in the day on access to public bathrooms, but he was pressed by host Jim Braude who told the governor that he could not see the moderate Republican vetoing a transgender rights bill.

Baker, who supports gay marriage, repeated that he looked forward to reviewing whatever the Legislature might send to him, but added, "I take tremendous pride in the fact that on many of these issues I've been on what I would describe as the right side of history."

Andrew Beckwith, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, could not be reached Thursday night for comment on Baker's statement about Trump, but earlier in the day told the News Service his group does not want anyone to be harassed or kicked out of public places.

"The reason why this bill is referred as the bathroom bill is because that's focused in on where there are real concerns about privacy and safety for an overwhelming majority of residents, especially women and children," Beckwith said. "No one is arguing that individuals with gender identity issues should be prevented from using a movie theater or a hospital, but there are some facilities that are lawfully sex-segregated for what should be very obvious reasons. That's where the rubber hits the road."