Tynan Power speaks out on Massachusetts Public Accomodations bill
Tynan Power recently sat for an interview on New England Public Radio regarding legislation pending in Massachusetts regarding discrimination in public accomodations.
Tynan is a Muslim transgender man and has been a part of the leadership of the Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity (MASGD) since its founding.
Tynan spoke to the need for these protections:
When I was earlier in my transition process, I definitely did encounter a lot of issues, including having the police called on me when I was using a public restroom (actually several times), being verbally accosted on the street.
When pressed on the "bathroom predator" concern, Tynan responded:
Those kinds of predatory behaviors that people are concerned about are already illegal... [this law] would not make them any less illegal... It ends up discriminating against transgender people because somebody else might do something that is problematic.
The full 7 minute interview is available online as "Activist Tynan Power: Transgender Accommodations Bill Is About Day-To-Day Interactions"
As of this writing, the Massachusetts House and Senate have both passed related legislation. The governor has indicated that he will sign the legislation once the two versions have been reconciled and brought to his desk.