Kris Mineau Remarks
Press Conference - Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Great Hall, State House - Boston, MA

Good morning, I'm Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute.

I'm here today with a distinguished panel, as well as concerned citizens from all over the Commonwealth to oppose House Bill 1728…the Bathroom Bill.

This bill has been advanced by Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and other interests. The heart of the bill is a provision that would make it a hate crime, for example, to deny any man who "self identifies" as a woman access to women's bathrooms, locker rooms, showers...even emergency shelters for battered women.

What's even more astounding than the state giving sanction to men entering women's private spaces is that 104 legislators have signed on to support this measure, along with Governor Deval Patrick.

We are here to oppose this bill and underscore that it surely will enable sexual predators, peeping toms and the "Glen Quagmire's" of the world to annihilate women's privacy and create a hostile and even dangerous environment for women and children using public facilities.

There has been some confusion among legislator whether this bill would actually open public rest rooms to any person of either sex. Our legal analysis-and the clear intent of the bill according to GLAD, Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (the lawyers behind this bill)-leaves no doubt that this bill would do just that.

In fact, a similar bill was recently passed on Colorado. Advocates of the bill said it would not impact bathrooms. But according to the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, "entities…must allow individuals' access [to facilities] appropriate to their gender identity, rather than their gender at birth."