Governor Deval Partick of Massachusetts -- says he will sign bill.
THE GUERRILLA ANGEL REPORT — [UPDATE – Jan. 20, 2012 – the equal rights bill is signed into law– see below.] Mass. Governor Deval Patrick says he will sign the bill.
Gov. Patric said: “I think we have hate crimes on the books today, they, in the case of transgender people, don’t go far enough.” — Boston Globe.
There are a few more legislative steps that must be done before the bill reaches the governor’s desk, however Republicans apparently don’t have the votes to sidetrack it.
Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese: “The Massachusetts legislature today recognized that transgender residents should be treated equally and protected under the law, the Transgender Equal Rights Bill has languished for years, but today the Legislature sent a clear message of fairness and equality.”
From the Huffington Post: Massachusetts will become the 16th state to treat transgender citizens as a protected class after legislature passed the Transgender Equal Rights Bill, which not only adds protections to the state’s civil rights laws against employment, education, housing and credit discrimination, but also adds gender identity and expression to the state’s hate crimes law.
Read more from the Huffington Post: Massachusetts Transgender Equal Rights Bill Approved By Legislature.
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[UPDATE – Jan. 20, 2012] The Transgender Equal Rights Bill is now law.
From The Huffington Post: “I sign this bill as a matter of conscience; people should be able to come before their government as equals,” [Gov. ] Patrick is quoted as having said as he signed “An Act Relative to Gender Identity” into law. Though Patrick had actually signed the bill in his office in late November, Thursday’s event was a ceremonial start-of-the-year one that drew an overflowing crowd from the local transgender community . . .”
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Categories: Discrimination, Equality, Civil Rights, Transgender, Transsexual, Trans
LEXIE CANNES STATE OF TRANS 
The governor did sign the bill. It is now law.
On Jan 20th, 2012 there was a huge ceremonial signing of this bill.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/20/deval-patrick-massachusetts-governor-transgender-rights-bill_n_1219121.html