Sonia Chang-Díaz is a former public school teacher and the first Latina and Asian-American to serve in the Massachusetts State Senate — and she’s spent her career fighting for and winning the bold change that working families need. Sonia’s mom was a social worker. Her dad came to America with $50 in his pocket and became NASA’s first Latino astronaut. Now she’s building a movement to tackle our state’s biggest challenges and restore Massachusetts’ promise to all families.
Sonia has been a strong ally for the LGBTQ+ community her entire career. She got her start as a young organizer working to protect equal marriage rights for same-sex couples, working for MassEquality, and was a lead sponsor of the Transgender Equal Rights laws passed in 2011 and 2016. These laws ensure equal protection for trans Bay Staters in employment, housing, credit, education, hate crimes and public accommodations. These were great steps forward, but Sonia knows that our queer and trans neighbors still face significant discrimination every day and serious disparities in economic stability and health outcomes.
For example, a recent study of the impact of the pandemic on LGBTQ+ youth found that they were significantly more likely to report poor mental health and housing insecurity. And, although lack of data collection and reporting from many Massachusetts state agencies means that state-specific data is unavailable, national data suggests that LGBTQ+ individuals are disproportionately represented in our justice system, our child welfare system, and among individuals who are homeless.
As Governor, she will ensure state agencies are responsive to the the needs of LGBTQ+ residents and implement policies designed to address disparities and promote inclusion, including:
Passing the Massachusetts Parentage Act, to ensure equality for LGBTQ families seeking to establish legal parentage.
Passing the Healthy Youth Act, to provide comprehensive LGBTQ-inclusive sex education.
Ensuring that people are able to list their sexual orientation and gender identity in critical state services systems, to better identify and address potential disparities in needs, service delivery and outcomes.
Supporting policies and programs that are responsive to the needs of LGBTQ individuals across facets of government and that aim to reduce disparities, from safe school programs to HIV prevention and treatment services to policies to ensure LGBTQ individuals in prisons and other congregate care settings are placed in locations consistent with their gender identity.