Sacramento declares itself a sanctuary city for transgender people
The Sacramento City Council voted unanimously last month to approve a resolution declaring the California capital a sanctuary for transgender people, reports The Hill.
The resolution, which went into effect immediately, guarantees that none of the city’s resources—including staff time—are used to enforce laws passed in other states that restrict access to gender-affirming health care for transgender minors or adults.
Twenty-four states since 2021 have passed laws limiting access to treatments—including puberty blockers, hormones and surgery—for transgender youth, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a nonprofit organization that tracks LGBTQ laws. Laws passed in states like Florida and Missouri also restrict access to care for certain trans adults, and GOP state legislators have increasingly targeted transgender people 18 and older in legislation filed this year.
Gender-affirming health care for transgender minors is already protected in California under a 2022 state law that shields families from being criminally prosecuted if they travel to California seeking care for their transgender children. The law does not apply to transgender adults.
Sacramento City Council members said the sanctuary city resolution is needed to ensure transgender people will remain protected in the event that the state’s existing safeguards are repealed.
