Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition


The Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition is an organization dedicated to ending discrimination on the basis of gender identity and gender expression. The MTPC educates the public, lobbies state and local government, and encourages political activism.
The MTPC professes to work guided by the following values: "Equal rights and institutional responsibility; working against all forms of oppression; building broad-based participation and community power; developing leaders and building coalitions; drawing strength from diverse experiences and identities; being informed by our history and elders; growing through challenge and critique; being inclusive of those who cannot be fully visible; and accountability to the communities for which we work."
MTPC was started by transgender activists and allies in September 2001. In early 2002, MTPC members began advocating for non-discrimination ordinance on the basis of gender identity and gender expression in Boston, MA. The ordinance passed in October 2002 with a 9-1 vote. In 2003, MTPC members began advocating for a similar ordinance in Northampton, MA which passed in December 2005.
In the summer of 2006, MTPC began developing a campaign for a statewide gender identity/gender expression non-discrimination bill. The legislation to outlaw discrimination in Massachusetts on the basis of "gender identity or expression" was introduced Jan 10, 2007, by lead sponsors Representative Carl Sciortino and Representative Byron Rushing as House Bill #1722, "An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes".
MTPC hosts a local transgender resource wiki and helpful materials for transgender activism on its website.
MTPC currently has a Boston chapter and a North Shore chapter. Mason Dunn is the executive director of the organization, and Maxwell Ng chairs an eight-person steering committee. Current MTPC committees include a policy committee, a community engagement committee, a training and education committee, a fundraising and events committee, and the Interfaith Committee for Trans Equality.