Calls needed to legislators for Trans legislation filed yesterday
Legislation for Transgender non-discrimination in Massachusetts is being introduced yesterday, Jan 10, 2007, by lead sponsors Representative Carl Sciortino and Representative Byron Rushing.

The Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition is asking all supporters to call your legislators and ask them to co-sponsor "An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes"

The list of legislators to call is at the end of this post. These calls for co-sponsors need to be made before 22 Jan 2007.

An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes, sends a clear message that Transgender people in our communities should be able to work and live without fear. Transgender people experience pervasive discrimination in many areas of ordinary life and high levels of crime. The Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) supports this legislation and applauds the many Representatives who are co-sponsoring it, but we need many more.

At MTPC, we believe that no one deserves to be fired, refused work, denied housing, education and credit, or face violence simply because of bigotry against their gender identity or expression. This legislation strengthens the Commonwealth's commitment to all people, including Transgender people, having equal protection under the law and the chance to contribute to our communities and economy.

Calling Script:
Calling your State Representative and State Senator

It's more painless than you think, so don't be intimidated! Legislative offices love hearing from constituents and it's their job to work for you.

TO DO BEFORE YOU CALL

1. To find out who your State Representative and State Senator are, and to get their phone number, go to this web site and type in the address where you are registered to vote: http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php You want to call your "Senate in General Court" and "Rep in General Court." Click on the name of your State Representative and State Senator to get their phone numbers.

2. Before you call, practice the script once or until you are comfortable with it.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU CALL

1. When you call the number for your Representative/Senator, you will be contacted to a receptionist. In the case of your Representative, it will probably be the receptionist for a committee, so they might answer the phone "Elder Affairs," or "Children and Families."

2. You will most likely be talking to your Representative/Senator's legislative aide. That's okay. This person will communicate the information to the Representative/Senator and will be the one to get back to you.

3. You should call both your Representative AND Senator. We need both of their support.

4. Your goal is this call is to simply ask the Rep/Senator if they are willing to be a co-sponsor. You should not go into a detailed explanation of the bill.

If the legislative aide has questions or requests additional information let them know that you will e-mail them more information or they can contact Representative Carl Sciortino's office.

Then contact Gunner at gunnerscott@gmail.com and he will provide you with the materials that you should email. This is something legislative aides do all the time, so they are used to having to do additional research about a bill and don't expect constituents to have all the answers.

SCRIPT FOR CALLING YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE/ SENATOR

Receptionist: Hello, (name of committee OR name of Senator's office).

You: Hello, can I please speak to someone in Representative/Senator ______'s office?

Receptionist: One moment please. (they transfer your call to a legislative aide).

Legislative aide: Hello, Representative/Senator _____'s office.

You: Hello, my name is______, and I am a constituent of Representative/Senator______. I am calling because I would like him/her to co-sponsor (include bill number here), An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes, which is being filed by Representative Carl Sciortino. This bill simply expands the existing non-discrimination statutes to include protections from discrimination based on gender identity and expression. Would Representative/Senator ______ be willing to co-sponsor this bill?

IF THE AIDE SAYS THAT THEY NEED TO CHECK WITH THEIR BOSS:

You: Would you please give me a call back once you talk to the Representative/Senator and let me know what they decide?

Legislative aide: Sure.

You: When should I expect to hear back from you?

Legislative aide: (gives time frame).

You: Great! I'll look forward to hearing back from you by (reiterative time frame). Thanks for your time.

IF THE AIDE SAYS YES:

You: That's great! You can contact Representative Sciortino's office to sign on.

(next you email Gunner gunnerscott@gmail.com to let him know about your success and so MTPC can follow-up with Rep. Sciortino to make sure that your Rep/Senator follows through).

IF THE AIDE SAYS NO:

You: Thank you for your time. I will be in touch in the future to let you know about other opportunities to support this bill. (Always be polite! This is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time to cultivate allies.)

Who needs phone calls:
If you live in the district of a person on the list it is very important to call them first; if you work in the district of another, call them as well.

Here is the list:

Senators
Robert A. Antonioni D - Leominster
Edward Augustus D - Worcester
Steven A. Baddour D - Methuen
Jarrett T. Barrios D - Cambridge
Frederick E. Berry D - Peabody
Stephen M. Brewer D - Barre
Stephen Buoniconti D - West Springfield
Harriette L. Chandler D - Worcester
Cynthia Stone Creem D - Newton
John A. Hart Jr. D - Boston
Robert A. Havern D - Arlington
Pat Jehlen D - Somerville
Brian a. Joyce D - Milton
Michael R. Knapik R - Westfield
Brian P. Lees R - East Longmeadow
Thomas McGee D - Lynn
Joan M. Menard D - Somerset
Marc C. Montigny D - New Bedford
Therese Murray D - Plymouth
Robert O'Leary D - Barnstable
Marc R. Pacheco D - Taunton
Pamela P. Resor D - Acton
Stanley C. Rosenberg D - Amherst
Karen Spilka D - Ashland
Bruce E. Tarr R - Gloucester
James Timilty D - Walpole
Richard R. Tisei R - Wakefield
Steven A. Tolman D - Boston
Susan C. Tucker D - Andover
Marian Walsh D - Boston
Dianne Wilkerson D - Boston

House of Representatives
Cory Atkins D - Concord
Demetrius J. Atsalis D - Hyannis
Daniel E. Bosley D - North Adams
Garrett J. Bradley D - Hingham
Arthur J. Broadhurst D - Methuen
Antonio F. D. Cabral D - New Bedford
Jennifer M. Callahan D - Sutton
Stephen Canessa D - New Bedford
Cheryl A. Coakley-Rivera D - Springfield
Michael A. Costello D - Newburyport
Robert K. Coughlin D - Dedham
Robert A. DeLeo D - Winthrop
Brian S. Dempsey D - Haverhill
Salvatore F. DiMasi D - Boston
Christopher J. Donelan D - Orange
Joseph R. Driscoll D - Braintree
James B. Eldridge D - Acton
Christopher G. Fallon D - Malden
Mark V. Falzone D - Saugus
Robert F. Fennell D - Lynn
Barry R. Finegold D - Andover
Jennifer Flanagan D - Leominster
Gloria L. Fox D - Boston
William C. Galvin D - Canton
Anne M. Gobi D - Spencer
Thomas A. Golden Jr. D - Lowell
Mary E. Grant D - Beverly
Dennis Guyer D - Dalton
Patricia A. Haddad D - Somerset
Geoffrey D. Hall D - Westford
Lida E. Harkins D - Needham
Bradford Hill R - Ipswich
Kevin G. Honan D - Boston
Bradley H. Jones Jr. R - North Reading
Louis L. Kafka D - Sharon
Rachel Kaprielian D - Watertown
John Keenan D - Salem
Thomas P. Kennedy D - Brockton
Robert M. Koczera D - New Bedford
Peter J. Koutoujian D - Waltham
Stephen Kulik D - Worthington
James B. Leary D - Worcester
Stephen P. LeDuc D - Marlboro
David Paul Linsky D - Natick
Barbara A. L'Italien D - Andover
Ronald Mariano D - Quincy
J. James Marzilli Jr. D - Arlington
Michael Moran D - Boston
Kevin J. Murphy D - Lowell
Charles Murphy D - Burlington
Patrick Natale D - Woburn
Harold P. Naughton Jr. D - Clinton
Thomas J. O'Brien D - Kingston
Eugene L. O'Flaherty D - Chelsea
Matthew Patrick D - Falmouth
Anne M. Paulsen D - Belmont
Vincent A. Pedone D - Worcester
Alice Hanlon Peisch D - Wellesley
Anthony W. Petruccelli D - Boston
Smitty Pignatelli D - Lenox
John F. Quinn D - Dartmouth
Kathi-Anne Reinstein D - Revere
Bob Rice D - Gardner
Michael J. Rodrigues D - Westport
John H. Rogers D - Norwood
Jeffrey Sanchez D - Boston
John W. Scibak D - South Hadley
Frank Israel Smizik D - Brookline
Theodore C. Speliotis D - Danvers
Robert P. Spellane D - Worcester
Christopher Speranzo D - Springfield
Marie P. St. Fleur D - Boston
Harriett L. Stanley D - West Newbury
Thomas M. Stanley D - Waltham
William M. Straus D - Mattapoisett
David B. Sullivan D - Fall River
Kathleen M. Teahan D - Whitman
Timothy J. Toomey Jr. D - Cambridge
David M. Torrisi D - North Andover
Eric Turkington D - Falmouth
Cleon Turner D - Dennis
Joseph F. Wagner D - Chicopee
Patricia A. Walrath D - Stow
Steven M. Walsh D - Lynn
Martin J. Walsh D - Boston
James Welch D - West Springfield
Marty Walz D - Boston
Alice K. Wolf D - Cambridge