Massachusetts Senate Unlikely to Approve Compromise to Transgender Bill

BOSTON (AP) _ Lawmakers might need more time to reach a final compromise on a bill that would ban discrimination against transgender people in public accommodations.

Senate President Stan Rosenberg said Tuesday that it's unlikely senators will vote to add language that would allow legal action against anyone who makes an ``improper'' claim of gender identity. The bill is scheduled for debate Thursday.

That language is included in a separate House version of the bill. Critics of the bill have argued that male sexual predators could claim to identify as female to gain access to women's restrooms or locker rooms.

Rosenberg says there are laws already in place to prevent such behavior and the House language is unnecessary. The Amherst Democrat did not rule out an eventual compromise.