The city council in Sacramento has officially designated the city as a “sanctuary city” for individuals who identify as transgender. This resolution ensures that Sacramento will be a secure and supportive environment for transgender individuals, and it states that the city will not assist states in enforcing laws regarding transgender medical services.
“California has been a leader in protecting the rights of transgender individuals to access care, but many states across the nation are moving in the opposite direction,” the resolution reads.
“In preparation of future legislation that may criminalize those providing or seeking gender-affirming care and given the Council’s stated values of equity and inclusion, it is important for the City of Sacramento to be proactive in reiterating our commitment to transgender rights and equal protections for transgender people by declaring ourselves a sanctuary city and a place of safety for transgender people.”
via pixabay
According to the resolution, Sacramento will not allocate any city resources, including staff time, to detain individuals seeking gender-affirming care. Additionally, the city will not collaborate with jurisdictions aiming to enforce laws that criminalize gender-affirming care in other places.
“The City of Sacramento is already a sanctuary city for immigrants; this proposed resolution would enact the same protections for transgender individuals,” the resolution notes.
“We cannot be giving children cross-sex hormones. We can’t give them surgeries to change their sex,” Beth Bourne, a member of a Sacramento chapter of Moms for Liberty, told KCRA 3. “This sanctuary city is saying that we will promote the idea that people can be born in the wrong body.”
via NBC
Councilmember Katie Valenzuela, who introduced the resolution and is a member of Sacramento’s Democratic Socialists of America, said it is “the sort of thing that you hope is never necessary,” but “it’s important to be realistic.”
“You hope it never gets triggered. That there’s never anyone coming to Sac who is potentially fleeing law enforcement for the sole reason of looking for health care,” said Valenzuela.
24 states have enacted restrictions on children accessing transgender medical services like puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender surgeries.
via pixabay
Those states are Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
