BayWindows.com – Ethan Jacobs
On May 15 the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) and the Gay and Lesbian Labor Activist Network (GALLAN) and their supporters will converge on Beacon Hill to ask lawmakers to support the transgender employment non-discrimination and hate crimes bill. The lobby day will mark the first time lawmakers have ever been lobbied on a statewide trans-related bill, and MTPC co-chair Gunner Scott said MTPC and GALLAN hope the effort will give the two groups a much better sense of where lawmakers stand on the legislation, which was introduced this session by state Reps. Carl Sciortino (D-Somerville) and Byron Rushing (D-Boston) and Sen. Jarrett Barrios (D-Cambridge).
?That?s a definite big point of doing this, to assess where we need to do education what types of education we need to do, just get the pulse of the State House,? said Scott.
The lobby day will begin at 10 a.m. in room 350 in the State House, and MTPC and GALLAN will do a brief training to help people get comfortable talking with legislators. Then attendees will disperse throughout the building, visiting their state representatives and senators and asking them to support the new legislation. Scott said MTPC activists will pair up with attendees to provide them with support as they lobby.