House Chair: Reps have 'reservations' about transgender bill
PHOTO/BRANDON BUTLER
State Rep. John Fernandes, D-Milford, pictured center in this 2013 photo, is heading up a committee tackling a transgender bill.
The House chairman of the committee assigned to a bill that would prohibit discrimination against transgender people's access to sex-segregated public accommodations said he is working to address differences between lawmakers on the issue.
"We're trying to work the details out. There are a lot of members who have reservations," Rep. John Fernandes, a Milford Democrat who co-chairs the Judiciary Committee told the News Service late Tuesday.
Earlier Tuesday, Speaker Robert DeLeo said he supports the bill, meaning he is in alignment on the issue with Senate President Stan Rosenberg and Attorney General Maura Healey.
Those skeptical of the legislation have expressed concerns about how the policy would translate to locker-rooms and other spaces segregated by sex when people use those facilities based on gender identity.
Fernandes said he has asked the bill's supporters about their response to those who "hold dear the historic separation of sex … on the basis of privacy and modesty."
"I'm not sure what if any changes would be appropriate to the legislation relative to concerns raised by members," said Fernandes, who said he "can't say" whether the bill would be ready to be reported out of committee this session.
Owing to the number of House members on joint committees, the House chairs generally have greater sway over legislation than their Senate counterparts. Sen. William Brownsberger, a Belmont Democrat who is co-chair of Judiciary, is a co-sponsor of the legislation (H 1577/S 735).
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