Eric D. Coleman

Transgender Civil Rights Bill Passes State Senate

Senator Coleman: “I have never witnessed the high degree of mean spiritedness that I have seen on this bill”

State Senator Eric D. Coleman (D-Bloomfield) welcomed passage in the Senate tonight of legislation that will extend civil rights protections to transgendered citizens.

“In all of my years in the legislature, I have never witnessed the high degree of mean spiritedness that I have seen on this bill. People came before our committee and testified passionately, sincerely about their everyday problems—and have had their concerns reduced by some to whether or not they should be allowed access to a particular bathroom,” said Senator Coleman.

Senator Coleman continued, “Every individual in this state should be allowed to live out their life in a fulfilled way. We, as a legislature, have the opportunity to alleviate the concerns and the fear that transgendered people face every day in going about their business. That, very simply, is what this legislation is really about.”

In response to comments regarding transgendered teachers in the classroom, Senator Coleman said, “Sometimes adults have a habit of projecting their issues on children. Sometimes children are more resilient than we give them credit for being.”

HB 6599, An Act Concerning Discrimination, would prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression. It would add “gender identity or expression” to the list of protected classes in Connecticut’s antidiscrimination statute, protecting transgender people from discrimination in employment, education, housing, public accommodations and other contexts.

The legislation previously passed the House of Representatives. It now goes to the desk of Governor Dannel P. Malloy.

Senator Coleman has served the 2nd Senate District communities of Hartford, Bloomfield and Windsor since 1995. He served in the House of Representatives from 1983 to 1994, a total of 28 years in the legislature. He is Senate Chair of the Judiciary Committee.