Blog Posts for Transgender Rights Project
FAQ: How Might the Incoming Presidential Administration Impact the LGBTQ Community?
Following the presidential election we know that many of you have questions about the future of LGBTQ rights and protections. Here are a few initial answers to questions we've been hearing from the community.
Transgender Discrimination Case Results in Victory For Transgender Rights
On August 9, 2016, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (“MCAD”) announced an important ruling concerning the rights of Massachusetts employees to be free from discrimination based on their transgender status, gender identity, or sexual orientation.The decision is a loud and clear legal precedent that intentional misuse of gender pronouns and gender based words to refer to a transgender employee can amount to unlawful, discriminatory harassment.
Why Religion is Not an Excuse to Discriminate in Public Accommodations
With wit, logic and common sense, Professor Joe Singer exposes how public accommodations that invoke “religious freedom” to bar service to LGBTQ people are simply discriminating based on religious beliefs. Our nation already turned away from the era where people had to “call ahead” to businesses to make sure they are welcome,’ we are “already invited.” Professor Singer makes a compelling argument that using religious beliefs as a sword is actionable religious discrimination. As our nation considers anew claims of religion in the marketplace, Professor Singer reminds us that we already have the answers. - Mary L. Bonatuo, GLAD Civil Rights Project Director
MA Public Accommodations Q & A
Today (July 6) the transgender public accommodations bill came out of the conference committee with members from both the House and Senate in agreement about the version of the bill that should go forward. This is a significant next step. Read what it means.
Governor Baker: Support the Transgender Public Accommodations Bill
Governor Baker left last night’s Boston Spirit Event when transgender activists, advocates, and allies vocalized their requests for his support of the transgender public accommodations bill. What did he expect?
15 Steps Towards Justice in 2015
As the year comes to a close, here are 15 (plus a bonus for the New Year) things your support helped GLAD take on in 2015:
Transgender Day of Remembrance: Cultivating a Culture of Respect, Empathy, and Love
Next Friday, November 20, marks the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. As we honor those lives lost to an epidemic of anti-trans violence, let’s also pledge to do more – to fight a climate of hate and intolerance by cultivating a culture of respect, empathy and love.
The Sign Says It All
I learned something new last Saturday afternoon. As I sat in a warm, sunny room listening to GLAD’s 2015 Spirit of Justice Honoree Jennifer Finney Boylan tell stories and answer questions about her experiences as a transgender woman, I saw language evolve right in front of me. Through the assistance of an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, Ayisha Knight-Shaw, a Deaf lesbian ASL teacher, led the group through the linguistic evolution of the ASL sign for “transgender.”
Everything is Rent
For so many LGBT people who have been rejected by families and experienced disproportionate rates of homelessness, poverty, discrimination and violence, participation in street economies is often critical to survival. That is why GLAD, along with other LGBT legal organizations, supported Amnesty International's recent resolution calling for the complete decriminalization of sex work.
Do We Need a Law That Says Being LGB or T Is Normal and Healthy? Yes, We Do!
When we think about the goals of the laws we have to protect LGBT people, we mostly think about solving concrete problems: ending discrimination, ensuring access to healthcare, keeping people safe from violence and other harms. But there’s another vital purpose of the law: the message that our government sends when it passes a law.