Member-only story
An Anti-Trans Sports Ban May Be Coming in Massachusetts
If the state senate approves it, it’ll be sent for ‘analysis’ and ‘recommendations’
In November 2018, I door-knocked in Massachusetts with the “Yes on 3” campaign to defeat a proposed anti-trans law that sought to ban trans people from bathrooms. By that point, I’d already been using Massachusetts public bathrooms corresponding to my post-transition gender for 20 years. For reasons of self-interest alone, I felt it was important that there not be a law retroactively changing my gender, requiring me to out myself as trans every time I wanted to use a bathroom, or doing whatever anyone thought was supposed to happen here (given that it would have been something other than allowing me to continue as I was).
In 2018, two-thirds of Massachusetts voters rejected the anti-trans law. Yes, that was a victory, but especially for a blue state, the margin was disappointing. It portended bad news for trans people throughout the country.
Indeed, look where Massachusetts is today.
The Massachusetts 2025 funding bill, which will take effect on July 1, passed the state House yesterday and now goes on to the state Senate.
It includes an anti-trans amendment.
