Somerville Rep. Sciortino continues fight for transgender right

State House News Service

Somerville —

Legislation adding gender identity to the state’s non-discrimination laws has long had majority support in the House and Senate, but with most of the 2009-2010 session over, the bills (H 1728 and S 1687) have yet to move out of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee, which held a packed hearing on the bills in July.

“I’m confident we have the votes,” said Rep. Carl Sciortino, a co-sponsor of the House bill. “Like everything else in this building, things take time. It’s a political year, so people are nervous,” he said. “The whole session has been a nervous session.”

Sciortino, D-Medford, then added that he does not believe his colleagues are nervous about the transgender bill. Sciortino’s comments came after he spoke to a crowd of about 150 individuals gathered in Nurses Hall to demonstrate support for the bill before heading to individually lobby lawmakers. Sciortino said Tuesday’s election of Wrentham Republican Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate indicated voters were “tired of the status quo.”

“We are here to say the same thing,” Sciortino told the crowd. “Inaction on this bill is not acceptable.”

Opponents of the bills say they allow transgender men to use women’s bathrooms.

“They’re just uncomfortable,” said Sen. Cynthia Stone Creem, a Newton Democrat who chairs the Senate side of the Judiciary Committee. “Get over it.”

Lorelei Erisis said she had a hard time finding a job because she was a transgender woman.

“I networked like crazy,” she said. “I couldn’t even get a job busing tables.”

Marion Freedman-Gurspan, who has a transgender daughter, highlighted ethnic groups that have been discriminated against in the past.

“It took a long time to stop saying, ‘No Irish need apply,’” she said. “It took a long time, but we got there.”

A total of 14 lawmakers, as well as Gov. Deval Patrick’s assistant secretary for access and opportunity, Ron Marlow, attended the rally.