Massachusetts' Transgender Equal Rights Bill Takes Effect

Having been hailed as "a much needed update," Massachusetts' new anti-discrimination law protecting transgender residents has arrived.

As the Associated Press is reporting, the Transgender Equal Rights Bill took effect July 1, about seven months after Gov. Deval Patrick signed it into law. The bill bars discrimination in employment, housing, education, and lending, while also enables prosecutors to bring hate crime charges in attacks that target someone for being transgender, according to the Boston Globe.