(Headline USA) San Francisco recognized “Pride” month this year by declaring itself a “sanctuary” for transgenders and other “gender non-conforming” people.
The city’s Democrat-controlled Board of Supervisors unanimously voted on Tuesday in favor of the sanctuary status, making San Francisco one of the first major cities to adopt the designation specifically for transgenders.
The resolution symbolically signals that transgenders, along with “gender-nonconforming, intersex, and two-spirit” individuals can pursue medical and hormonal transition services in the city.
It goes on to specifically blast the more than 40 states that have introduced legislation to “target the LGBTQ+ community,” including bills that aim to protect children from permanent gender transition procedures.
“We have seen an influx of refugees, not just from other countries, but from other states who are seeking care and seeking sanctuary,” said Honey Mahogany, San Francisco’s director of the Office of Transgender Initiatives.
Other cities in California, including Sacramento and West Hollywood, have issued similar declarations. And in 2022, Democratic Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law blocking state officials from blocking other states’ restrictions on transgender surgeries and drugs.
Sacramento announced its transgender sanctuary status earlier this year in a resolution that also received a unanimous vote from the city’s Democratic-controlled city council.
“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 said.
“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,” it added.
