Massachusetts could become the next state to codify access to public accommodations for transgender people, but conservative voices on Beacon Hill are warning that new protections could come at the expense of privacy for others.
Proponents like Attorney General Maura Healey want the state to add transgender identity to the list of classes protected by anti-discrimination laws when it comes to accessing public accommodations like restaurants, sports clubs or public restrooms.
“The only category of persons that don’t have that same protections are transgender people, and that’s what we’re looking to make right with this law,” Healey said.
Andover Republican state Rep. Jim Lyons spoke for a crowd of opponents at the hearing when he questioned whether letting transgender teenagers use their preferred locker rooms would violate the privacy of uncomfortable or offended students.
“I’m suggesting that they do matter,” he said. “That the privacy rights of our children matter.”
The bill has a lot of support from the Democrats who control the Legislature, but Gov. Charlie Baker says existing transgender protections are sufficient.
