 Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly voted to retain the 2016 state law that protects transgender people from discrimination and public criticism, sparking celebration among supporters of the law, and the Fairmont Coffee Paws on Tuesday evening. It'll send a signal and a message to the entire country that transgender people are no longer going to be forgotten about or put in the shadows and that we are a state that accepts and welcomes and honors them here. I think it'll really set the standard for the entire country and hopefully for the world to ensure that people are discriminated against simply because of the gender with which they identify. Victory comes as the Trump administration is considering defining sex as binary, which would remove transgender people's protections under Title IX, a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination. We understand what our opposition was going to do in trying to scare people and so we really wanted to help them understand that transgender people are actions of the people who are vulnerable and not the people who are putting anyone at risk. The No On 3 campaign did not respond to numerous requests for interview. Debbie Dugan, chairwoman of Key Mass Tuesdays Safe, the ballot committee behind No On 3, wrote in a Boston Globe article in August that the transgender rights law's definition of gender identity makes it ripe for abuse by criminals and convicted sex offenders. Attendees of the Yes On 3 viewing party, who continue to celebrate behind me, say they'd hope that their victory sends a powerful message that everyone in Massachusetts is welcomed and valued, including transgender people. In Boston, I'm Matthew Nixon, BU News Service.