"I believe that 40-odd years ago, those first brave souls, many of whom were transgender, who stood up for their right to exist at Stonewall and the Compton Cafeteria could not have imagined that we would actually achieve the legal rights and possibilities that we enjoy today. However, we should not use our past success as a reason to rest on our laurels, and we mustn't abandon a vital segment of our community, our transgender brothers and sisters. . . .

"Transgender and gender non-conforming people are targeted mercilessly for harassment on the streets, discriminated against in the workplace both during hiring processes and when they decide to transition on the job, and denied housing due to their status as transgender. Even in our liberal state, acts of discrimination and violence happen every day. . . .

"The time is now to come together and support this bill. The 'T' in LGBT has waited long enough for the same protections some of us have had for 20 years."

--Mass. State Rep. Carl Sciortino, lead sponsor of a bill that would extend the state's current hate crime laws to cover gender identity and expression.