City Council declares Boston a 'sanctuary city' for transgender community
City Council members voted 12-1 Wednesday to make Boston a sanctuary city for members of the transgender community.
City Council members voted 12-1 Wednesday to make Boston a sanctuary city for members of the transgender community.
Councilor-at-Large Julia Mejia and District 9 Councilor Liz Breadon called on Boston to adopt the measure supporting transgender people, pointing to what they see as harmful rhetoric coming from President Donald Trump and the White House.
“Boston is not going to back down,” Mejia said Wednesday. “We’re seeing attacks on our trans loved ones, and here on the local level, a lot of folks are feeling helpless.”
Breadon, the first openly gay woman elected to the council, said the country faces "unprecedented times" when "many of our neighbors are feeling unsafe and insecure for various reasons."
"This resolution addresses a particular concern that we need to elevate and raise up," she said at Wednesday's council meeting. "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."
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