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Access to bathrooms and locker rooms based on gender identity has been a controversial area of transgender rights bills, and the public accommodation portion was removed from the legislation that passed in Massachusetts in 2011.

(The Republican [file])

BOSTON - As the attitudes of the American people have shifted toward accepting gays and lesbians, the movement toward acceptance has been much slower for the transgender community.

But in Massachusetts, where a comprehensive piece of anti-discrimination legislation took effect in 2012 to protect transgender people, supporters are calling for action on a new bill that includes provisions stripped from the original law to prevent discrimination in public places including hotels, restaurants, hospitals, buses, bathrooms and locker rooms.

In the bill's summary, it says the Equal Access Bill would "add gender identity to existing Massachusetts civil rights law for public accommodations, which currently prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, sex, and marital status."

The Massachusetts Transgender Equal Rights Coalition's continued push for the bill's passage comes amid staunch opposition from some legislators and during Transgender Awareness Week.

“In Massachusetts, 58 percent of respondents in a transgender discrimination survey reported being harassed and mistreated in public places like buses, airports, government agencies and restaurants. The legislature can help make (the) commonwealth safer and more accepting by passing the Equal Access Bill," said Mason Dunn, executive director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition in a statement. "All residents of the Commonwealth, including transgender people, need access to public places and services without fear of harassment or being made to leave simply because of who they are."

Advocates of the Transgender Equal Rights Act in the Massachusetts legislature made concessions about provisions relating to discrimination in public places after opponents raised concerns about privacy, particularly relating to restrooms.

The Massachusetts Family Institute led that charge with a website and public opinion campaign labeling the law the "Bathroom Bill," while promoting slogans such as "The Bathroom Bill will put my daughter and her friends in danger."

Many of the legislators opposed to the law said the potential for increased lawsuits and scenarios where transgender people would "scare away business" were their primary reasons for objecting.

In July, members of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary heard testimony from transgender state residents, their family members, civil rights leaders, child welfare advocates, and business owners in regards to the legislation. And while much of the sentiment expressed was in support of Massachusetts adding the public places protection that transgender people have in the 16 other states where transgender protections exist, the idea isn't without opposition.

Rep. James Lyons, R-Andover, and Rep. Marc Lombardo, R- Billerica, are pushing a bill that although unlikely to pass, would strike gender identity protections altogether from state law.

But supporters who have likened the fight for transgender equality to the Civil Rights movement feel they are on the right side of history.

"As we memorialize those lost to anti-transgender violence this week, we call on lawmakers to finish the job they started in 2011 and report the Equal Access Bill favorably to the House and Senate," said Kara Coredini, executive director of the pro-LGBT MassEquality in a statement. "This is a critical step toward ensuring that everyone in Massachusetts, including transgender people, can access critical services like emergency health care, nursing home care and public transportation safely and without fear of discrimination."