Boston Declares Itself A Sanctuary City For The LGBTQ+ Community
The city government says it will no longer comply with state or federal anti-LGBTQ+ policies.
Boston is now officially a safe space for its LGBTQ+ residents. On Friday, the City Council voted 12-1 to approve a resolution declaring the city a “sanctuary” for the community, meaning it will not enact anti-LGBTQ+ policies or comply with those of the federal government.
The move to codify LGBTQ+ protections at the local level comes after nearly two months of anti-LGBTQ+ attacks from the Trump administration, which largely targeted the trans community. In a press release after the vote, Boston’s City Council said the administration’s attacks have “posed significant health risks to LGBTQIA2s+ individuals,” particularly the trans and gender-diverse communities, by restricting access to community-specific healthcare like HIV/AIDS services and gender-affirming care. In an effort to protect its citizens from such risks, the city government will no longer cooperate with federal or state anti-trans policies.
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“This resolution addresses a particular concern that we need to elevate and raise up,” District 9 Councilor Liz Breadon, the first openly gay woman elected to the city council, said Wednesday. “During the election and since, there’s been an incredible escalation in anti-trans rhetoric and violence that has caused incredible stress and anxiety to our LGBTQI+ community, and especially to our trans brothers and sisters.”
Home to the country’s 10th-largest LGBTQ+ population, Boston has a long history of pro-LGBTQ+ policies. Securing these rights at the local level may be more important than ever as the Trump administration continues to expand the reach of its anti-trans policies. Even in Massachusetts, historically a liberal stronghold, Republicans in the state legislature have already introduced four anti-trans bills—all targeting trans children—since the inauguration.
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The Trump administration’s anti-trans agenda also makes Boston’s move politically risky. In recent weeks, the administration has cracked down on state governments it believes to be out of compliance with the president’s anti-trans agenda. In February, the Department of Health and Human Services found the state of Maine in violation of Title IX for alleged “sex discrimination,” shortly after its governor declared she would not comply with Trump’s executive order banning trans women from women’s sports teams. Soon after, the US Department of Agriculture suspended all funding to the University of Maine. The administration has not yet announced any repercussions for Boston.
