2022 MA Governor's race: on Civil Rights

Ben Downing: Support anti-discrimination laws for transgender people

[On Transgender Rights]: "The Senate did the right thing today," said Senator Downing. "The work we did to guarantee transgender individuals protection from discrimination in terms of employment and housing two sessions ago was finally able to cross the finish line by safeguarding the most basic rights of every person to exist as his or herself peacefully and inclusively within their own communities." This bill builds on the Transgender Equal Rights Bill, filed by Downing in 2011. Source: 2022 Massachusetts Governor campaign site SenatorDowning.com Oct 6, 2016

Danielle Allen: State has taken too long where leadership is open to all

Allen is the first Black woman to run for Massachusetts governor as part of a major party. And, if elected, she would be the first Black woman governor in the nation. "I appreciate the weight and importance of this moment but there's also some pain that in the state that was first to abolish enslavement, almost 250 years ago, it has taken this long to reach a place where leadership is open to all," she wrote. Source: Harvard Crimson on 2022 Massachusetts gubernatorial race Jun 15, 2021

Geoff Diehl: Supports gay GOP candidate criticized by committee member

Massachusetts Republican State Committee member Deborah Martell wrote in an email that she was "sickened" that a Republican Congressional candidate who is married to a man had adopted kids. Gov. Baker and others called for her to resign from the panel. "First of all, I totally side with the candidate, very nice guy, lovely family, absolutely support his run for Congress," Diehl said. "Secondly, I think the state committeewoman who made the comments was wrong in what she said." Source: WGBH NPR-Boston on 2022 Massachusetts Gubernatorial race Jul 7, 2021

Maura Healey: We put an equity lens on everything that we do

One thing I'm most proud of as attorney general is we put an equity lens on everything that we do. Everything that runs through the office--whether it's consumer work, financial services or the environment, health care--everything is looked at through an equity lens. Source: WBUR (NPR Radio) on 2022 Massachusetts Gubernatorial race Feb 3, 2022

Maura Healey: Was lead counsel challenging Defense of Marriage Act

Healey served as the lead counsel in Massachusetts v. U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. In that case, the commonwealth challenged the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which limited marriage to one man and one woman and was signed into law in 1996. Healey argued that by denying benefits like Social Security to same-sex couples who'd been legally marrying in Massachusetts since 2004, the federal government was encroaching on state authority. Source: WGBH (NPR Radio) on 2022 Massachusetts Gubernatorial race Feb 3, 2022

Maura Healey: The first openly gay state attorney general in U.S. history

Back in 2014, when she first ran, her primary opponent, Warren Tolman, was a former state legislator and one-time gubernatorial candidate who enjoyed strong support from the Democratic establishment. Healey crushed Tolman, 62% to 38%, buoyed by aggressive retail campaigning [and] enthusiastic support from LGBTQ voters. In the general election, Healey routed Republican John Miller by the exact same margin, becoming the first openly gay state attorney general in U.S. history. Source: WGBH (NPR Radio) on 2022 Massachusetts Gubernatorial race Feb 3, 2022

Maura Healey: Include health equity as part of Health Care Cost Trends

Maura is focused on addressing the affordability crisis and promoting health equity, while maintaining the highest quality of care. Last year, her office released a robust report on racial inequity in health with recommendations in key areas to move toward racial justice in health care. As Governor, Maura will build on that vision to ensure we have a system that serves every community. This includes:

Requiring health care providers and insurance carriers to improve the collection and reporting of patient race, ethnicity, and other demographic characteristics.
Including health equity as part of the state's Annual Health Care Cost Trends Hearing to measure the state's progress towards identified equity benchmarks.
Ensuring that anti-racist, cultural humility, and implicit bias training is required of all licensed providers.

Source: 2022 Massachusetts Governor campaign website MauraHealey.com Jun 7, 2022

Maura Healey: End the ban on LGBTQ+ blood donations

Banning the LGBTQ+ panic defense, which is a legal strategy that allows a defendant to claim a victim's sexual orientation or gender identity/expression is to blame for their crime.
Streamlining the process of co-parent adoption.
Supporting comprehensive, LGBTQ-inclusive, consent-focused, and medically accurate sex education.
Ending the ban on LGBTQ+ blood donations.
Advocating for passage of the Equality Act at the federal level.

Source: 2022 Massachusetts Governor campaign website MauraHealey.com Jun 7, 2022

Sonia Chang-Diaz: Social equity loans for those impacted by cannabis arrests

Cannabis regulators asked the Legislature to consider a loan for people disproportionately impacted by cannabis arrests. Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, who has served on the Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy, said she will continue to push for social equity loans. "I'm also hopeful that the heightened level of attention that the commonwealth as a whole, and the Legislature, has on issues of racial justice and racial equity will hopefully lift up that legislation even more in the coming term," she said. Source: Springfield Republican on 2022 Massachusetts Governor race Aug 3, 2021

The above quotations are from 2022 Massachusetts Gubernatorial race: debates and news coverage. Click here for definitions & background information on Civil Rights. Click here for other issues (main summary page). Click here for more quotes by Charlie Baker on Civil Rights.
*Candidates and political leaders on Civil Rights:*
*Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:* GA:Chambliss(R) IA:Harkin(D) MI:Levin(D) MT:Baucus(D) NE:Johanns(R) OK:Coburn(R) SD:Johnson(D) WV:Rockefeller(D) *Resigned from 113th House:* AL-1:Jo Bonner(R) FL-19:Trey Radel(R) LA-5:Rod Alexander(R) MA-5:Ed Markey(D) MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R) NC-12:Melvin Watt(D) SC-1:Tim Scott(R)	*Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:* AR-4:Tom Cotton(R) GA-1:Jack Kingston(R) GA-10:Paul Broun(R) GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R) HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D) IA-1:Bruce Braley(D) LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R) ME-2:Mike Michaud(D) MI-14:Gary Peters(D) MT-0:Steve Daines(R) OK-5:James Lankford(R) PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D) TX-36:Steve Stockman(R) WV-2:Shelley Capito(R)	*Retired House as of Jan. 2015:* AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R) AR-2:Tim Griffin(R) CA-11:George Miller(D) CA-25:Howard McKeon(R) CA-33:Henry Waxman(D) CA-45:John Campbell(R) IA-3:Tom Latham(R) MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R) NC-6:Howard Coble(R) NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D) NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R) NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D) NY-21:Bill Owens(D) PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R) UT-4:Jim Matheson(D) VA-8:Jim Moran(D) VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Jun 08, 2024