On Tuesday, July 18, the elephant in the room at Gardner Auditorium of the Massachusetts State House had a giant coming-out party. The occasion was a hearing on “An Act to Prohibit Discrimination in State Contracts” (S.1689/H.1685). Attending the coming-out party were about 500 people, half wearing a blue sticker that said “No Hate in the Bay State” and half wearing a yellow one that said “Freedom to Boycott”.
“An Act to Prohibit Discrimination in State Contracts”, states that anyone entering into a contract with the state of Massachusetts shall not currently or for the duration of the contract “refuse, fail, or cease to do business with any other person when that action is based upon such other person’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity or sexual orientation.” The mantra of the bill’s supporters is “No Hate in the Bay State.”
The hearing opened with the bill’s sponsors declaring in no uncertain terms that the legislation was purely and simply about standing up to discrimination. Clearly shaken by an ACLU statement opposing it, the bill’s filer, Senator Cynthia Creem, asserted that it had been falsely portrayed as infringing on free speech and the right to boycott. She implored committee members to only consider what the bill said “on its face” – that it stood against hate in all its forms.