Massachusetts city OKs sanctuary city status for transgender community
WORCESTER – Worcester officials approved a measure Tuesday night declaring the second-largest city in Massachusetts a sanctuary city for the transgender community.
The term "sanctuary city" is most often used in connection with immigration. But the Worcester City Council voted on a different kind of sanctuary city resolution during their latest meeting.
Worcester transgender sanctuary city vote
The vote came after hours of comments from the public, many who said they feel unsafe by President Donald Trump's executive order that the federal government recognize only "two sexes, male and female,"
The topic came up for debate in Worcester a month after Councilor-at-Large Thu Nguyen, who is the first non-binary member of the board, made allegations that they had been harassed and misgendered by other city leaders.
"I want to really share my gratitude and indebtedness to the community that came out," Nguyen told people at the meeting.
The newly passed resolution reiterates Worcester's commitment to transgender rights, adding that city resources will not be used to detain people seeking gender-affirming care. The city will also not provide out-of-state agencies with their information.
"I don't care what your beliefs are, but to take the word 'transgender' out of the vocabulary in the federal government is just plain wrong," Mayor Joseph Petty said.
Who voted against the resolution?
Councilor-at-Large Donna Colorio and Councilor-at-Large Morris Bergman were the two votes against the measure. They expressed concern that the city could lose thousands of dollars in federal funding from the Trump administration.
"There are no new rights that this resolution gives that don't already exist. However, there's a potential for federal dollars to be taken away from the City of Worcester," Bergman said.
Nine members voted in favor of the resolution.
Worcester is not the first U.S. city to declare themselves a safe haven for transgender residents. Similar resolutions have been passed in Sacramento, California and Ithaca, New York.
