Standing up for the humanity and dignity trans people

Hi {{FirstName}}, Trans lives are under attack and viciously thrust to the margins. While the violence and erasure of trans people have been unrelenting for many decades, the barrage of attacks on trans people by the Trump administration is an intentional attempt to divide our communities and strip trans people of their humanity and existence. I, like so many of you, am deeply angered that we live in a world that is so hostile, unsafe, and uncertain for trans and nonbinary people. This is why we are in a watershed moment as the state of Massachusetts, and as a community, on whether we will stand up and fight to protect the lives and humanity of transgender, gender-nonconforming, and intersex people, or we remain silent and sit on the sidelines, while our trans and nonbinary friends, family, neighbors are assaulted and dehumanized. Last week, there was a Globe article about an anti-trans amendment, rightfully raising alarm. And, as is often the case with the workings of the State House, and notably, parliamentary procedure, what happened was confusing. My goal with this newsletter is to fully explain what happened, my perspective, and what we must do now to protect the rights of transgender, gender-nonconforming, and intersex people in Massachusetts. I also want to name that there is damage that happens even if the policy doesn’t get implemented. The mental health crisis amongst LGBTQIA+ people, and all people targeted by the Trump administration, is immense. I am so sorry for everybody who felt isolated and vulnerable when our State House did not simply vote this amendment down. We owe you, and our entire state, better.  Summary If you are short on time, please read these bullets and call or email your Rep (esp if it’s not yours truly) and Senator about the budget items and bills. A MAGA Republican introduced an anti-trans amendment In response, House leadership used a parliamentary procedure (called a “further amendment” to study) which has the effect of not giving the bigoted views any oxygen it does NOT deserve I, and other Reps on the left, wanted to vote the amendment down because it’s the right thing to do, but we did not have the opportunity to do so Every time that I know of this parliamentary procedure being used, it ultimately kills the amendment. While the language is in the House version, this is the 1st step out of many steps before the Governor signs the bill into law. I feel very optimistic that this language will not be in the final bill, especially due to the righteous outcry against this, led by trans people and allies. This is a watershed moment, trans lives, humanity, and dignity are under attack. I firmly encourage everyone to contact your rep, senator, and governor to advocate for trans rights, see budget items and bills on protecting trans rights below. Budget items (NOTE, the House budget came out yesterday, please have these conversations and make asks ASAP): Funding the Massachusetts Gender-Affirming Care Access program. This would be a new line item in the FY26 budget. We are asking for $1,000,000 for health centers that specialize in gender-affirming care. Increasing funding for the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance which supports unaccompanied and unhoused LGBTQIA+ youth (line item 7004-0104) LGBTQ+ Health Research and Education Fund funded at $3 million in investment, modeled after California’s initiative researching HIV and AIDS. This would be the first of its kind in the nation. Increase funding the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation which helps support name change clinics and anti-LGBTQIA+ discrimination in housing and employment (line item 0321-1600) Funding for the Community College SUCCESS Fund to the amount of $29 million for wraparound supports including counseling for student success for students in our community colleges, especially important for students from marginalized backgrounds and LGBTQ+ identities (line item 7100-4002 and 7100-0903) Funding the Commission on LGBTQIA+ Youth (line item 0950-0050) Bills: An Act protecting personal security (H.1973) - Currently in Massachusetts, anyone legally changing their name must publish a notice in a local newspaper regarding their name change. Additionally, legal name changes are public record unless a judge approves a separate motion to impound the record. These are both major privacy and security concerns for people who are legally changing their name. This bill will end the publication requirement for legal name changes in Massachusetts, as nearly all other neighboring states have done. Additionally, it will keep name changes private if the court finds that there is a threat to security or safety. An Act relative to parent names on birth certificates (HD.4254) - This bill addresses the administrative hurdles trans people face when changing their name. The Location Shield Act (H.86 / S.197) -  This bill would ban the purchase and sale of cell phone location data and protect people’s privacy, including when people visit health clinics offering sensitive and targeted services including abortion and gender affirming care. Long(er) explanation on what happened: What happened? Rep. Gaskey, a MAGA Republican, introduced a blatantly bigoted and anti-trans amendment. When the amendment was brought up on the House floor, a Democrat State Rep. moved to further amend the amendment to "study" the bill. Every time that I know of this parliamentary procedure being used, it ultimately kills the amendment. While the language is in the House version, this is the 1st step out of many steps before the Governor signs the bill into law. I feel very optimistic that this language will not be in the final bill, especially due to the righteous outcry against this, led by trans people and allies. Some people have asked, why didn’t the Democrats simply and clearly vote the amendment down rather than “study” it? Truthfully, this is what I would have wanted to happen. And if the amendment was voted on, I would have voted it down, spoken out publicly condemning it, and done everything I can to get as many of the reps to vote against it too. Others may also argue that the further amendment is an effective way to squash the issue without debate and without a vote. In other words, don’t even give the issue oxygen it doesn’t deserve. I think it was notable that it appeared even Rep. Gaskey’s own Republican caucus did NOT support what he was doing. Had they supported him, they could have objected to the further amendment, taken up much more debate time, demanded a vote and worked with right wing advocacy organizations to attack anyone who voted for protecting trans rights. This is what they have typically done in their position as a superminority caucus to attack progressive causes. They didn’t do any of that. What did Reps vote on? With the anti-trans amendment sent to study, the vote that I took was to vote yes on the final bill, which was to greenlight spending $1.3B from the Fair Share Amendment (or the Millionaire’s tax) on investing in public transportation and education. 14 Republicans voted against the bill. What could Reps who support trans and non binary rights have done differently? The further amendment happened quickly by voice vote which you can watch here at about 27 minutes: https://malegislature.gov/Events/Sessions/Detail/7438 I, nor many reps were not in the chamber when it happened. Is there anything that can be done to prevent quick voice votes that don’t include most Reps? The short answer is no, not in the current political context of the House.  The long answer is: I think it's helpful to view the problems with the legislature through two lenses: 1) transparency and 2) parliamentary procedure.  Transparency is what decisions are made publicly available. Parliamentary procedure (like Robert's rules) is there to make democratic decisions and have debate equitably. It is also designed to give more decision-making power, more air time for debate to larger caucuses. (and the inverse for smaller caucuses) I think it's more helpful to view what happened with yesterday's voice vote through the lens of parliamentary procedure. With voice votes there are mechanisms to slow things down, debate, and garner more support within the legislative body, but because we are a body of 160, it is very hard to do that with a caucus of 1 or even a handful of reps.  The Republican caucus is able to do this because I've heard they take turns monitoring and have an agreed upon process to move and react as a caucus. There is no equivalent counterpart with this many coordinated members on the left side of the legislature. Why didn’t you vote no on the final bill? (as a protest vote) The implementation of the Millionaire’s tax is deeply important to me because I and many Somerville activists worked hard to pass it on the ballot in 2022, not to mention, the MA labor movement spent over $30M on winning this campaign. I’m proud that Somerville delivered the highest margin of victory for the Millionaire’s tax with 79% in favor. This is immense lifeline funding for public transportation and education as we navigate all the threats of cuts by the Trump administration. Upcoming events Freedom for All: Sedar in the Streets Today, Thursday April 17, at 6PM at the City Hall Plaza in Boston, 11 City Hall Square, join Jewish organizations from around Boston to call for the release of student protestors, including Rumeysa Ozturk and Mahmoud Khalil, to protect free speech, and to ensure the right of all people to live in our homes free from fear. For more information, please click here.  Event updates on Beacon Hill and in Somerville Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless Advocacy Day Last week, I met with constituents from Massachusetts Coalition of the Homeless, Community Action Agency of Somerville, and the Somerville for the Office of Housing Stability for the annual Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless Legislative Action Day.  Transgender Day of Visibility at the State House On Transgender Day of Visibility, I met with trans, non-binary, and gender nonconforming leaders at the State House. As trans rights come under attack nationwide, Massachusetts remains committed to protecting the rights and dignity of transgender people. Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services Legislative Breakfast I attended the Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services' Annual Legislative Breakfast with the chairs of the Joint Committee on Aging and Independence, Senator Jehlen and Rep. Stanley, as well as Senator DiDomenico, and Mayor Ballantyne. We discussed housing insecurity, federal funding concerns, and the importance of addressing social isolation.  Somerville Community Corporation (SCC) Carnival I attended the Somerville Community Corporation Carnival Annual Member Event. I was truly humbled to receive the Hazel Hughes award for my work leading the campaign to doubling the Community Preservation Act last November (Yes on 6!), alongside Isabella Drago who received tho Van Hardy award and a scholarship to further her studies in law. The 84 movement's Annual Youth Day of Action! I attended The 84 Movement's Annual Youth Day of Action with Rep. Barber and Rep. Connolly! We discussed how tobacco and vaping industries are impacting our communities. Thanks to all the students who came out to advocate! Hands Off! Rally On April 5, thousands joined the Hands Off! Rally at the Boston Common. This was part of a national day of protest to demand an end to the attacks made by the current federal administration on democracy, immigrants, LGBTQ+, and workers. End Act to End Lifetime Parole for Juveniles and Emerging Adults Earlier this month, the Transformational Prison Project put on a briefing on the importance of H.2051, An Act to End Lifetime Parole for Juveniles and Emerging Adults. Thanks to everyone who came out to share their stories and to Rep. Worrell, Rep. Fluker-Reid, and Sen. Eldridge for filing this bill! Hearing on Proposal for a legislative amendment to the Constitution relative to voting rights Earlier this month I testified with Sen. Miranda on bills, H.63 and S.7, Proposal for a legislative amendment to the Constitution relative to voting rights. This would restore the right to vote for nearly 7,000 citizens who are currently incarcerated in Massachusetts. Every citizen deserves representation in this nation and in this state. Voting isn’t a privilege, it’s a fundamental right! We had the privilege of hearing directly from incarcerated constituents behind the wall on why this is so important. Thank you to Chair Hunt and Chair Keenan of the Joint Committee on Election Laws for working to make this possible and for allowing the voices of incarcerated individuals to be heard! You can watch the full hearing here. As always, it is a joy and honor to serve you in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas! Follow on Bluesky Follow on Instagram Yours in service, Erika {{Disclaimer}} Committee to Elect Erika Uyterhoeven 11 Wesley Park Somerville, MA 02144 United States Campaign website: www.ElectErika.com If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please (Unsubscribing is not supported in previews).