Thanks for all you do! We’ve been putting in a lot of work, and there’s still plenty of work to come! But it’s also important to celebrate everything we’ve accomplished already.

I am marching in the Boston Pride Parade, and I’m both excited and sobered. I’m excited because the celebration of our LGBTQ+ communities is full of joy, laughter, and camaraderie. I’m sobered because in the face of anti-LGBTQ+ court decisions, slow-moving local LGBTQ+ legislation, and a state ballot initiative that’s only necessary because so many people want to reverse much-needed protection for transgender rights, I’m reminded that we have so far to go.

In 2016, after the work of many progressive advocates, the legislature passed and the Governor signed legislation that reformed the Massachusetts public records law for the first time since the early 1970’s. This legislation was a big improvement, but it was also incomplete. What about the law was good? State agencies now have 15 days to fully comply with records requests; municipalities will have 25 days. The law also caps charges, therefore making records less expensive and more accessible to the general public. What was left undone?  The legislature exempted themselves, the Governor’s office, and the judiciary; the Commonwealth of…