New England City Declares Itself A ‘Sanctuary’ For ‘Transgender And Gender Diverse People’

On Tuesday night, the city council of Worcester, Massachusetts passed a resolution 9-2 to make the city a “sanctuary” for people who identify as transgender.

The resolution states, “The City Council of the City of Worcester hereby reiterates its commitment to transgender rights and equal protections for transgender community members and declares itself a sanctuary city and a place of safety for transgender and gender diverse people … the City of Worcester recognizes the importance of gender-affirming healthcare as a matter of health, privacy, and equality … the City of Worcester hereby maintains it should be a policy of the City of Worcester that no city resources be utilized for cooperating with or providing information to any individual or out-of-state agency or department regarding the provision of gender-affirming healthcare or gender-affirming mental healthcare performed in Worcester and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts … the City of Worcester as a sanctuary city will not cooperate with Federal and State on policies aimed to harm transgender and gender diverse people …”

Councilor-at-Large Thu Nguyen, who claims to be “non-binary,” returned after having announced a hiatus and leaving the council in mid-January, alleging “transphobia” and being “misgendered” within the council, the Telegram and Gazette reported.

Councilor-at-Large Donna M. Colorio, who voted against the resolution along with Councilor-at-Large Morris A. Bergman, wanted to delay the vote because she was worried the city would lose federal funding.

“While echoing Colorio’s arguments, Bergman was often interrupted by taunting from the audience, including snorting sounds, which had to be quelled by Petty’s gavel,” the Telegram and Gazette noted. “A voice from the second floor of the chamber also hurled insults in German at him.”

“Fascism is trying to bully and intimidate people to think the way you think,” Bergman stated, adding, “What new rights does this resolution give that don’t already exist? I can’t say with 100% confidence that something that doesn’t add any more protection than already exists isn’t going to cause harm to the other 200,000 people in the city of Worcester.”

Worchester is the second-largest city in New England.