Massachusetts State Rep Identifies As A ‘They’

Sam Montaño, prior to being elected, worked for most of the last decade with communities in Jamaica Plain, Mission Hill and Roxbury advancing affordable housing, equity, and climate resistance. Sam served in City Year at the McCormack as their intro to Boston. They then worked at a women’s shelter before transitioning to community organizing at the JPNDC. Through their work and life, Sam got to know this community from all sides. From youth work at Mildred Hailey to the 3 Main Streets to legislative advocacy to running for the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council to so much more. Sam is deeply rooted in the 15th Suffolk community.

 

The web site Run For Something also describes the freshman lawmaker as a “they.” 

Here is what its web site says:

 

Sam is a queer, non-binary, latine community organizer running for State Representative in Jamaica Plain, Mission Hill and Roxbury, MA. Sam would be the first non-binary person elected to the state legislature in Massachusetts.

Sam has been working on the ground for over 8 years in their community to advance housing, environmental justice, and mental health and recovery services. From base building to action, Sam is ready to bring their organizing experience to the House. With their organizing skills, Sam is running to help build the groundswell we need to pass bills that have held up progress in our city.

The lawmaker identifies as both non-binary– someone whose self-selected gender identity is different from male or female — and as a woman. 

However, Montaño isn’t against being referred to as a “she,” despite also using the singular “they” as a pronoun. 

“I use She/They. I use ‘she’ because I identify as a woman and I use ‘they’ because the way I present and feel most myself is outside the binary of gender as a common social construct,” the lawmaker told Jamaica Plain News in March 2022.

The 15th Suffolk District, which the lawmaker represents, includes Mission Hill, Jamaica Plain, and Roxbury. The parts of Boston the covers are Ward 10 Precincts 4 through 9, Ward 11 Precincts 4 through 10, and Ward 19 Precincts 1, 4 through 7, and 9, according to the state legislature’s web site.

Montaño is seeking re-election unopposed this year, according to the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office.