House Passes Bill After Senate Passage Last Month

The Massachusetts House has just passed a bill banning discrimination againstÂ transgender people in areas of public accommodation, including restaurants, stores, hotels, schools, sports arenas, and other areas. The legislationÂ specifically allows transgender people to use restrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their gender identity. Lawmakers debated for nearly seven hours before the final vote, which was 116-36.

Rep. Fernandes on #TransBillMA â€œWe canâ€™t create a protected class and leave them out of public accommodations.â€ pic.twitter.com/tFL1M69lU3 â€” GLAD (@GLADLaw) June 1, 2016

Members of the Massachusetts Senate passed a similar bill last month, 33-4. The bill will need to be reconciled with the Senate version before heading to the governor’s desk.Â Republican Gov. Charlie Baker has said he will sign the legislation.Â â€œNo one should be discriminated against in Massachusetts because of their gender identity,â€ Baker said.

Opposition to the legislation was long and deep. 36 amendments, almost all anti-LGBT or poison pills, were offered,Â debated, and voted upon. Almost every single one failed — all anti-equality ones did.

There are only 18 other states and the District of ColumbiaÂ with similar legislation on the books.

.@Barber4StateRep gives maiden speech in support of #TransBillMA, urging colleagues to support all members of the Commonwealth. â€” ACLU Massachusetts (@ACLU_Mass) June 1, 2016

#TransBillMA and similar ordinances improve public safety. Proud to call @Barber4StateRep my Representative. pic.twitter.com/7B8TmDaCyE â€” Courtney Chelo (@courtneychelo) June 1, 2016

Rep Barber: We have these protections in my community – with no public safety issues. #TransBillMA pic.twitter.com/9SyisNQiwv â€” Freedom Mass (@Freedom_Mass) June 1, 2016

Rep. Fernandes: discrimination endangers the freedom, civil rights, and lives of trans people. #TransBillMA pic.twitter.com/sQDOdilLYO â€” ACLU Massachusetts (@ACLU_Mass) June 1, 2016

Rep @ByronRushing says today, “we are doing the work the founders of our nation intended for us to do.” #TransBillMA â€” Freedom Mass (@Freedom_Mass) June 1, 2016

The bill’s chief sponsor was Rep.Â Denise Provost.

UPDATE:Â 6:56 PM EDTÂ â€“

Massachusetts Senate President offers support:

The @MA_Senate looks forward to working with the House to send a #TransBillMa to the Governorâ€™s desk. â€” Stan Rosenberg (@SenStan) June 1, 2016

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Image by Freedom Massachusetts via TwitterÂ

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