Discrimination Resources

The following resources can be helpful to you if you've experienced discrimination and are wondering what you can do about it. You are also welcome to send us an email at . We'll do whatever we can to help, but please check out these resources first, as we will most often refer you to one or more of them.

Statewide Help

If you believe that you have been the victim of discrimination or a hate crime because of your gender identity or gender expression, the following resources may be helpful (residents of Boston & Cambridge should also pursue these avenues):

• Massachusetts Public School 2010 Anti-Bullying Law [download pdf]
• In Boston every month, there's a free legal clinic for trans folks
• Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD):
  legal information hotline: 1-800-455-GLAD (M-F 1:30p-4:30p)
• The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (how to file a complaint)
• Fenway Community Health Center's Violence Recovery Program
  1-800-834-3242
  For anti-LGBT physical and verbal harassment
• Attorney General's Office
  The Civil Rights Division of the Attorney General's Office enforces Massachusetts laws that protect citizens of the Commonwealth from discrimination

Boston & Cambridge

Police

If you experience discrmination from a Boston Police officer, please file a complaint HERE. If you prefer to contact the Internal Affairs Division directly by phone to file a complaint, please call 617-343-4320, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Please let MTPC know so we can track these complaints, HERE.

Public Accommodation, Housing, Credit

If you have been discriminated against because of gender identity/gender expression in public accommodation, housing, or credit, the following may be able to help you file a complaint and obtain compensation or restoration:

• Boston

  Mayor's 24 Hour Help Line: 617-635-4500
  Or, file by email

• Cambridge

  Cambridge Human Rights Commission: 617-349-4396
  Hours: 8:30 - 5:00; after-hours answering machine in both English and Spanish
  Website:
  http://www.cambridgema.gov/~HRC/

Other Resources

• Massachusetts State Civil Rights Resources
• The Network/La Red: Ending abuse in lesbian, bisexual women's and transgender communities
  617-423-SAFE (7233)v/tty info@thenetworklared.org
  Support for partner abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault
• International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE)
  781-899-2212
  Provides referrals to transgender resources across the country