Bristol County reps speak to both sides of transgender bill
By Bianca Buono
@BBuonoABC6
A transgender rights bill is making its way through the Massachusetts State House; but a few state leaders in Bristol County are voting against it.
The bill, now before the Senate, would allow transgender people to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match the gender they identify with.
"I used to look at the playground at school and want to play with the boys and I just always would want to like fit in their shoes,” said 14-year-old Jae Grenier, a transgender student in Attleboro.
But now he does. Grenier recently came out to his classmates and with that, started using the men’s bathroom, a place he says makes him much more comfortable than the women’s bathroom.
"When I go into the female’s bathrooms, I get a lot more looks than what I do in the men’s bathroom. Like nobody even bothers me in the men’s bathroom,” Grenier said.
A bill that passed the Massachusetts House Wednesday would give Jae and other transgender people the right to use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond with the gender they identify with. It passed 116-36, but one of the 36 state leaders who voted against it is Betty Poirier, a state representative from North Attleboro.
"Someone who is transgender to a woman is fine. But there are no transgender policeman standing outside the entrance to these spaces,” Poirier said.
Her main concern is locker rooms where women and young children are often naked. She says sexual predators could take advantage of this legislation.
"We’re giving free rain to these individuals to be able to go in and prey upon young girls and women,” Poirier said.
Paul Heroux, a state representative form Attleboro, co-sponsored the bill. He says 17 states have already enacted similar legislation and there hasn’t been a single incident of policy abuse.
"Will it happen in the future? It might. But we don’t deny someone civil rights because someone else might do the wrong thing,” said Heroux.
Governor Charlie Baker says he will sign the bill if it gets to his desk as long as there is language that allows the prosecution of those who take advantage of the bill.
© WLNE-TV 2016
