In a heavily attended ceremony held in the Senate Reading Room of the State House, Gov. Deval Patrick signed An Act Relative to Gender Identity, otherwise known as the Transgender Equal Rights Bill, into law.

In a heavily attended ceremony held in the Senate Reading Room of the State House, Gov. Deval Patrick signed An Act Relative to Gender Identity, otherwise known as the Transgender Equal Rights Bill, into law.

The bill was first filed in 2007 by Rep. Carl Sciortino and Rep. Byron Rushing who were later joined by Sen. Benjamin Downing and Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz in lead sponsorship.

Patrick officially signed the bill back in November within the required 10-day period once the legislation passed the House of Representatives and Senate. This public ceremony was held in order that transgender advocates, residents and their friends and families could join the governor, state officials and legislators, including Sciortino, Rushing, Downing, and Chang-Diaz in celebrating this major achievement in Massachusetts’ history.

“I signed this bill as a matter of conscience. No individual should face discrimination because of who they are,” Patrick said, thanking legislators for their “act of political courage.”

“I am thrilled that Gov. Patrick was able to sign this important piece of legislation in front of the transgender community and its allies,” said Sciortino, D-Medford. “The signing of this bill into our laws means that Massachusetts’ 33,000 transgender residents will now be protected from discrimination in the workplace, in housing, at their schools, and when seeking to access credit. There is still work to be done — transgender residents still need to be protected in public accommodations. But I believe that a giant step forward has been taken, and we will achieve full protection for transgender residents in the near future because of what we and the governor have done today.”