“Massachusetts for Us All” campaign billboard – Photo: Gov. Maura Healey, via Twitter.
In a dig at conservative states, Massachusetts has launched a tourism ad campaign touting the state as a better place for LGBTQ people to live, work, and spend their money.
The campaign, titled “Massachusetts For Us All,” shows LGBTQ couples on billboards in Florida and Texas and seeks to portray the Bay State as a welcoming, diverse, and affirming environment for LGBTQ people.
“At a time when other states are misguidedly restricting LGBTQIA+ rights, we are proud to send the message that Massachusetts is a safe, welcoming and inclusive place for all,” Gov. Maura Healey, who was elected the state’s first out LGBTQ executive last fall, said in a statement.
“The ‘Massachusetts For Us All’ campaign sends a clear message that Massachusetts stands for freedom and civil rights,” added Healey. “To anyone considering where they want to live, raise a family, visit or build a business — we want you to join us here in Massachusetts.”
The campaign is intended to counter the push for laws restricting LGBTQ rights in more conservative states, especially in Florida and Texas, both of which have touted their relatively low tax burden and opposition to “woke” ideas in order to convince conservative-minded Americans to relocate there.
By providing a message that portrays Massachusetts as a beacon of individual freedom and tolerance, organizers hope the campaign will encourage LGBTQ or more liberal-minded residents of so-called “red states” to visit and potentially even relocate to Massachusetts.
“We want the campaigns to remind and show visitors that, especially in other parts of the country that perhaps aren’t inclusive, we’re proud of our legacy here, whether it’s marriage equality or reproductive freedom, that we’re a welcoming place for everyone to visit,” Sarah Stanton, the commonwealth’s Undersecretary of Economic Strategies, told Metro Weekly.
“This campaign around ‘Massachusetts for all’ [is] not just for Pride month, but now is included as a part of our year long tourism effort,” she added. “We want to say to the rest of the country, if you want a place that’s going to fight for your freedoms and help you thrive, whether you’re here for a short time or a long time, it’s Massachusetts.”
“Massachusetts for Us All” campaign billboard, Photo: Gov. Maura Healey, via Twitter.
When asked why the campaign chose to focus on Florida and Texas, Stanton replied that “Texas and Florida are doing quite well economically, but they don’t share our values.” By comparison, Massachusetts has a “great” economy, per Stanton, as well as vibrant business, health care, education, and information technology sectors, and an inclusive environment that prizes diversity rather than seeking to suppress it.
“We wanted to highlight the stark difference between Massachusetts and Florida and to remind folks it is safe to come here,” Stanton said.
”If you’re thinking of taking a vacation this summer, if you’re thinking about visiting one of our amazing historical amenities, our beaches, our parks, you, your family, your partner, your friends, you’re welcome here [and] warmly embraced here,” she added.
“If you are unhappy in the state that you’re in or you’re looking for a change or you want to be somewhere where your values are shared, and want a place to come to and to be safe and to raise a family, to visit, to go to college, to start a business. You name it, we want you here.”
The tourism ad campaign launched alongside Governor Healey’s address to the Irish Senate on the 30th anniversary of decriminalizing homosexuality in Ireland. In her speech, she highlighted the progress of both Ireland and the U.S. on LGBTQ rights and stressed the importance of unity over discrimination.
“We share the belief that we must move forward together – in fact we can only succeed – if everyone has the opportunity to exercise their rights, be free from discrimination, reach their full potential, share their talents, and live fully as their true selves,” Healey said in her speech. “We must stand together now, not only to celebrate our progress, but to meet these challenges, rise to this moment, and show a better way forward.”
The Texas Supreme Court upheld a state law prohibiting doctors from prescribing gender-affirming care to transgender minors, placing unique restrictions on the rights of parents with transgender children.
Justice Rebeca Azipuru Huddle, writing on behalf of the 8-1 majority, found that while "fit parents" have a right to raise their children without government interference, that right is not absolute.
The ban on gender-affirming care was approved by Texas lawmakers on a largely party-line vote, with Republicans pushing for the restrictions.
Under the law, doctors are prohibited from prescribing puberty blockers and hormone therapy to youth suffering from gender dysphoria. Doctors who violate the law are subject to disciplinary action and will have their medical license revoked by the Texas Medical Board.
A federal judge in Texas blocked rules adopted by the Biden administration aimed at prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQ students -- particularly those who are transgender -- in educational settings.
The guidance from the U.S. Department of Education was adopted in April. It was set to take effect on August 1.
Its aim was to help school officials interpret and abide by Title IX, the federal law opposing sex-based discrimination in educational institutions.
Sex-based discrimination historically has been interpreted as applying only to incidents where a person is discriminated against based on their assigned sex at birth.
Last month, the Indian River School Board voted to remove Ban This Book, by Alan Gratz, from its shelves, overriding its own Florida district book-review committee's decision rejecting a challenge to the book.
The children's novel follows a fictional fourth-grade student who creates a secret library of banned books in her locker after her local school board bans those titles.
Indian River School Board members said they disliked how it referenced other books that have been removed from schools and accused it of "teaching rebellion of school board authority."
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