Rep. Lewis Honored With Award for Equity and Justice for LGBTQ+ Youth

June 27, 2022 (Framingham) - Representative Jack Patrick Lewis was honored with the Advancing Equity and Justice award from the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ+ Youth on June 14, 2022.

“I am grateful to the Commission for their steadfast commitment to advancing justice and equity across our Commonwealth,” noted Rep. Jack Patrick Lewis (Framingham). ‘ I cannot adequately express how honored I am to achieve this award in celebration of my previous local work with OUT MetroWest around youth empowerment and wellness, my legislative work on suicide prevention and consent education, and recent legislative successes in HIV prevention and adoption access.”

“This year, the Commission celebrates its 30th anniversary’, noted Shaplie Brooks, Executive Director of the Massachusetts LGBTQ+ Youth Commission. ‘That is 30 years of protecting and serving LGBTQ youth in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. While we believe that Massachusetts has done so much to become a leader for LGBTQ youth across the nation, there is still much to be done to address the inequities LGBTQ youth with varying intersecting identities face.”

The Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ+ Youth works to support LGBTQ+ Youth in Massachusetts and acts as their liaison to the state government. It primarily focuses on five areas that disproportionately affect LGBTQ+ youth, which are inclusion in schools, homelessness, juvenile justice, health, and sexual violence.

The Commission has noted many priority issues including anti-bullying protections, HIV prevention, and better data collection in the criminal justice system. The Commission supports the Healthy Youth Act which would incorporate the sexual health needs of LGTBQ+ students in sexual education curriculums.

Rep. Lewis is the lead sponsor in the House on legislation that would expand young adults access to HIV-prevention medication, requiring consent education be taught in school, and would expand access to suicide prevention services.

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