West Newbury Rep. Lenny Mirra’s district includes parts of Haverhill.
Haverhill’s House legislative delegation largely voted in favor of extending rights to transgender individuals during a 116 to 36 vote in favor.
Only Rep. Lenny Mirra of West Newbury, whose district includes parts of Haverhill, voted against the bill. Mirra is the only Republican in Haverhill’s delegation. Democratic Reps. Brian S. Dempsey, Linda Dean-Campbell and Diana DiZoglio supported the bill.
The bill now must be reconciled with a state senate version. Gov. Charlie Baker said he would sign the eventual bill into law if it conforms with the version passed by the state house of representatives.
“Any public accommodation, including, without limitation, any entity that offers the provision of goods, services, or access to the public, that lawfully segregates or separates access to such public accommodation or other entity based on a person’s sex shall grant all persons admission to and the full enjoyment of such public accommodation or other entity consistent with the person’s gender identity,” the bill read. Just as supporters had in the senate, the house beat back a number of amendments that would have weakened or confused the bill.
Unlike the senate version, the house bill contains prohibitions against “any person who asserts gender identity for an improper purpose.”
Attorney General Maura Healey praised the outcome.
“Today’s House vote brings us one step closer to ensuring that transgender people are protected from discrimination in Massachusetts. I thank Speaker DeLeo, Chairman Fernandes and Reps. Rushing and Provost for their leadership in moving this bill forward today. And I’m so grateful to those who’ve fought for these protections, including the families who bravely shared their stories and the many businesses that spoke up in support of equality. We have a proud history in Massachusetts of paving the way on issues of civil rights and equality. Nearly 20 other states have already extended these protections to transgender people. It’s time we do the same. I look forward to having a law on the books that makes clear that everyone is welcome in Massachusetts.”
I never saw where this was a huge deal. Massachusetts has always been ahead of the curve on social issues. Women’s rooms have stalls, mens rooms have both urinal and stalls both afford privacy. If you let your child in any public rest room un es courted you should be fined.
JMO
Rich
Think this through a bit more …..you’re fining parents who let their children go into a restroom – but not a guy in a dress who “thinks” he’s a she today? Somewhere your logic is disconnected.
COB actually my logic is not disconnected. If a guy dressed as a woman walks up to the urinal next to me in a mens room and does his business I have no problem. I think and I am quite sure a woman dressed as a man wouldnt do that but would go in private in a stall. I have been in a mens room where a single mother entered with her young son. I have heard the same man enter a womans room with his daughter. I never had issue with this. Both mens and womens rooms have stalls and we all have relieving ourselves in common. JMO
Thank you Lenny ! One of few who does not kowtow to the grand vision of the progressive left. A lemming he is not. A person with a mind of his own. That is rare in this state.
lenny is a stiff
Actually he is not. He is the Representative on Beacon Hill I wish I had, instead, thanks to gerrymandering, I’m stuck with a status quo Democrat like Linda Dean Campbell who has never made an independent vote in her political career.
Lenny is arguably the only Beacon Hill Representative that has a clue as to what liberty actually means. He is also one of the only Beacon Hill politicians that I’m aware of that does not accept corporate, special interest, and PAC donations of any kind, individual donors only. Oh yea, he’s not an attorney either, but has a successful business that actually produces things and employs others. So unlike his political brethren on Beacon Hill, he is directly impacted by decisions and legislation made on Beacon Hill, just like the rest of us.
Now, if there is legislation you believe he voted on or authored that he directly benefits from, please point me in that direction. Over the years, I can point you to Beacon Hill politicians that specifically passed legislation that improved their personal business through its passage, most of whom have law practices of their own (i.e. Cynthia Creem). Or, Representatives that voted to directly benefit their political brethren on Beacon Hill like Barbara L’Italien and her $5K Committee Chair raises when she was a Rep.
Or, you could have a guy like this, whose policies and legislative benefactors of crony capitalism has impoverished an entire state:
http://valleypatriot.com/the-million-dollar-man-by-duncan-burns/
Duncan, I am by no means a fan of Campbell, but please allow me to set the record straight…mainly to point out how corrupt Democrats are in this state.
Campbell did have an independent vote back during her first term in office. When the issue of gay marriage was being debated on Beacon Hill and a vote by legislators was cast on whether to put it on the ballot for citizens to decide, Campbell was the only state rep in the entire Merrimack Valley that voted to let the people decide. She went completely against party lines. As a freshman rep she then paid the ultimate price. When she was up for re-election State Senator Steven Baddour and Dempsey recruited long time Methuen Democrat hack Arthur Broadhurst to run against her. Imagine…instead of backing their own party incumbent they proactively sought out someone to replace Campbell. She ultimately won re-election but learned well from that experience because she has never stepped out of line again. That’s how Democrats operate….they’ll eat their own young if it means keeping a majority when it comes to voting.
Good for Lenny! Lenny Mirra voted the right way! Didn’t do any good, but he stood up for his constituents, and voted the way most of his constituents would have voted if the question had been placed on the ballot in a general election.
We elected a group of politicians who sold us down the river, AND this includes Charlie Baker. These politicians voted in favor of the few while selling out women and children…… this in spite of the fact that women are ALSO their constituents and are more numerous.
Beacon Hill does it again, usurpation of others rights in order to meet their own narrow ideological and politically correct agendas. No matter what processes a man or women does unto themselves, it will never change the sex that they were born with.
Ideology/Feelings > Biology/Science
Way to run a government.