Protect Transgender Rights and Vote “Yes” On 3

A Letter To The Editor From Sabrina Renaud:

My name is Sabrina Renaud and I am asking the residents of Reading to vote YES on Question 3 this November. This ballot question aims to repeal a transgender nondiscrimination law that the
Massachusetts Senate and House passed with bipartisan super-majority and was signed into law by
Governor Charlie Baker in 2016.

I am an Early Childhood Educator, a lifelong resident of Massachusetts, homeowner, and the primary
caregiver to two young siblings. Like many people, I’m busy and always on the go. Every place I go I
know that I am protected from discrimination under the law. I strongly believe this is something that
should not be a privilege but a right for all people, regardless of their gender identity. One of the children
I care for is transgender. The fact that he could be discriminated against and he would not be protected
everywhere in Massachusetts if the law were to be repealed is disheartening and terrifying. All people, but
children especially, need to feel validated and supported in order to thrive and it worries me to think of
the message that will be sent if the current law is not upheld when voters go to the ballot this November.
Having these protections in place makes for a safer and more welcoming community for everyone. It
helps to open dialogue, to learn, and to understand. I feel proud -and safe- knowing that the state I was
born and raised in has a nondiscrimination law that fully protects transgender people.

The Yes On 3 campaign has the support of nearly 1,500 organizations, including the League Of Women
Voters, the Union of Minority Neighbors, the Massachusetts Parent Teacher Association, and the
Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association. A small but vocal group of anti-LGBTQ activists collected
the low threshold of signatures necessary to put transgender nondiscrimination protections to a popular
vote on the November 2018 ballot. Therefore, it is important that everyone works together to protect
transgender rights and vote “Yes” on 3.

Sabrina Renaud, Smith Ave