On Saturday, October 1, 2016 the Massachusetts Transgender Rights Bill will be effective. This law extends anti-discrimination protection to public accommodations for transgender individuals. What you should know:The law gives transgender people the right to use public restrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identities, regardless of their sex at birth.
The law describes gender identity as “a sincerely held…part of a person’s core identity” that can be demonstrated by reference to medical history, care or treatment, or by being asserted in a “consistent and uniform” manner.
Includes a clause to provide “legal action [against] any person whose assertion of a gender identity is for an improper purpose.”
NOTE: Both the Attorney General’s Office and the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination have been tasked to provide more guidance and regulations on the new law which should be provided by these agencies before October 1, 2016.