Caitlyn Jenner publicly backing Massachusetts' transgender rights bill [View all]

http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/03/caitlyn_jenner_supports_massac.html#incart_river_home



Caitlyn Jenner arrives at the 2016 Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscar Viewing Party at West Hollywood Park on Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016, in West Hollywood, Calif.

Caitlyn Jenner publicly backing Massachusetts' transgender rights bill
By Shira Schoenberg
on March 17, 2016 at 5:00 PM, updated March 17, 2016 at 5:15 PM

Caitlyn Jenner, a famous transgender athlete and television star, is speaking out in favor of a Massachusetts bill that would provide anti-discrimination protection to transgender people in public places.

In a Twitter video publicized by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, Jenner says, "No one should be called names or denied service simply because they are transgender. That's why this bill is so important."

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The Healey-Jenner interaction is part of a social media campaign run by Healey's office to build support for the bill, which is a top priority of Healey and of gay rights groups in Massachusetts.

In 2011, the Legislature passed a bill adding non-discrimination protection for transgender people in employment, housing, credit, education and similar areas. But a mention of public accommodations got stripped out during debate. The public accommodation provision drew opposition from those who dubbed the bill "the bathroom bill," out of fear that it would require public places to allow a transgender man to use a women's bathroom and vice versa. A standalone transgender public accommodations bill is now pending in the Legislature.