Sacramento Votes to Become Sanctuary City for Trans People

(Dreamstime)

Sacramento City Council officials on Tuesday voted to become a sanctuary city for transgender people, according to local media reports.

The resolution, introduced by Councilmember Katie Valenzuela, states the city’s commitment 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” considering future legislation “that may criminalize those providing or seeking gender-affirming care.”

“This is the sort of thing that you hope is never necessary,” said Valenzuela. “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.”

However, “it’s important to be realistic,” Valenzuela added.

Protests were held ahead of the vote by Moms For Liberty, a conservative political organization that advocates against school curricula that mention LGBT rights, race and ethnicity, critical race theory, and discrimination.

“This city is saying that we will promote the idea that people can be born in the wrong body and that we will pick up children coming into our state or into the city to give them these surgeries, and we cannot be doing that,” Moms For Liberty spokesperson Beth Bourne said.

Scores of bills enacted in Republican-governed states over the past few years have targeted transgender people. Many of laws ban gender-affirming medical care for trans minors or bar trans athletes from competing on girls’ and women’s scholastic sports teams.