Blog Posts from April 2009
All Kinds of Families: Maine’s Marriage Equality Hearing
You really had it all inside the Augusta Civic Center yesterday. On our side, Catholic church ladies opposing the bishop; couples together for 30, 40, 50 years; crusty Mainers supporting their gay children; Republicans, veterans, couples with kids. But for me, a highlight was the testimony of Steve Wessler, head of Maine’s Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence.
Transgender Rights Legislation Impacts All Of Us
Massachusetts’ Transgender Civil Rights Lobby Day demonstrated that our community is organized and deeply committed to securing legal protections for transgender and gender non-conforming people in Massachusetts. On Tuesday, the marble of the State House echoed with our stories about why we need to pass “An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes” this year (read more about this legislation and how to get involved).
The transgender rights movement and the work to pass this legislation are deeply personal to me. I have a sibling who is transgender, and I have watched first-hand the hostility and discrimination that he has faced because of his non-conforming gender identity.