Rosenberg: What's Next For The Transgender Rights Bill

A new study shows that when it comes to civil rights, the tool for changing minds is simple: conversation.

The study, published Thursday in Science, found that one comprehensive 10-minute doorstep conversation between a voter and a trained canvasser reduced anti-transgender prejudice substantially, and increased support for transgender protection laws, all in the span of ten minutes.

Here in Massachusetts, it’s taking a little longer. A joint committee of members from the House of Representatives and the Senate have been deliberating a transgender public accommodations bill, designed to protect transgender individuals from discrimination in public spaces, since last year. “We were hoping to do it in November, and then we were hoping to do it right after the holidays, and so here we are now in May,” Senate President Stan Rosenberg said in an interview with Boston Public Radio Tuesday. Rosenberg said a deadline to take action on the bill has moved to May 2, and if action isn’t taken by then, the Senate will step in and take over. “If it comes out of the committee by vote of the committee, that’s fine,” he said, “but if not, we’re going to take control of it.”

For Rosenberg, “Taking control” essentially means pushing the bill forward and bringing it back for debate until something gets done. At the end of the May 2 deadline, the committee (where the bill is currently stalled) has the option to put the bill out favorably or unfavorably, or request another extension. That’s when the Senate can bring out Joint Rule 10, which says the clerk can declare the bill as having returned to the Senate with a ‘not to pass’ decision, which could be overturned, and then the bill is once again debated.

That complicated process might not even have to occur if the House and Senate can work together and put something out by their new tentative deadline: May 12. House Speaker Bob Deleo has yet to put forth a House bill, but Rosenberg says he’s hopeful for collaboration. “[DeLeo] has indicated that he’s been speaking with his members,” Rosenberg said. “I don’t want to speak for him, but every time it’s come up in my presence, he has said he’s speaking with the members, and making sure that the members are comfortable and that he needs more time.”

Governor Baker has caught a lot of flak for refusing to take a stand on the issue, he’s even been booed off the stage at an LGBTQ networking event and refused an award from the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce due to his reticence. In an interview with Boston Public Radio last Wednesday, the governor repeated, “I don’t think we should discriminate against anybody,” stressing that he wanted to see a bill before taking a stand. “I want to give the legislature the ability to deliberate this,” Baker said. “The senate said they’re going to take it up in May, the House said they’re going to take it up in May, we’re going to be in May in a matter of weeks here, and I look forward to what comes out of that.”

Baker, DeLeo and Rosenberg meet almost every Monday to discuss issues, except the transgender rights bill, which Rosenberg said “hasn’t come up”—at least, in that context.  “We’ve heard each other say where we are and what’s going on. We’ve heard the speaker address it, we’ve heard the governor address it, and people have heard me address it,” Rosenberg said. “[Baker] has made clear that he doesn’t support discrimination and he wants to wait to see the draft of the bill that comes to his desk, and the Speaker has been clear that he’s talking with members looking for the votes.”

All the signs, Rosenberg says, point in a forward direction. By his estimation, this will be law. “We’ve never failed to vote to eliminate discrimination in Massachusetts, so I would expect this would eventually become law,” Rosenberg said. “The sooner the better, because every day that goes by, people are hurt, and part of our job is to try to prevent people from being hurt when we can do that.”

Stan Rosenberg is the President of the Massachusetts Senate. To hear his full interview with Boston Public Radio, click on the audio link above.