Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Transgender Day of Visibility. I am introducing my bill, the Name Accuracy in Credit Reporting Act, legislation that is informed by the lived experiences of transgender and nonbinary people throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and our country. My bill will rectify the inequities and inaccuracies in credit reporting, which disproportionately impact transgender and nonbinary people. During their transition, many transgender people choose to legally change their names. However, even after their legal name change is finalized, their credit report continues to deadname them, or refer to them by their prior name. Deadnaming a trans person in their credit report comes with many harms to one's mental health and financial well-being. When external entities like potential lenders or employers receive the inaccurate credit reports, transgender folks are exposed to discrimination and harassment in credit services, housing, and employment. Further, some trans and nonbinary consumers have reported that when they change their name, the credit bureaus fragment their credit report, resulting in a loss of credit history and a drop in their credit score. My bill will improve accuracy in consumer reporting and increase access to housing, jobs, and credit for transgender and nonbinary people by preventing their unfair denials that result after a name change.…”