Massachusetts city becomes 'Sanctuary City for Transgender and Gender Diverse People'

The Worcester City Council in Massachusetts voted 9-2 on Tuesday to designate the city as a sanctuary for "Transgender and Gender Diverse People," a move that sparked controversy over the behavior of activists present at the meeting.

The resolution prohibits the use of city resources for “detaining persons for solely seeking or providing gender-affirming care.” The measure also means that the city will refuse to cooperate with any state or federal policies that are “aimed to harm transgender or gender diverse people.”

Approximately 200 LGBT activists attended the five-hour meeting to support the measure, according to the Washington Examiner. Some speakers made inflammatory remarks, with one self-proclaimed drag queen stating, “I need this city to protect me because the federal government won’t.”

“If you say that you’re afraid of Trump and that’s why you don’t want the city to be a safe space for trans people, you better be prepared for trans people to make this a very unsafe space,” the individual threatened.

"Can you look at me and tell me how many of my friends have to die before you do anything?” said another activist to the council. “Look at me! F*cking pathetic!”

Activists also expressed concerns that same-sex marriage could be overturned under President Donald Trump’s administration, despite no indication from his administration that this would happen. The protest comes after Trump signed an executive order barring federal funding for transgender medical procedures on minors, stating that the US “will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures.”

Worcester is also home to a nonbinary council member, Thu Nguyen, who was elected in 2022. Nguyen has been on hiatus from the council, citing transphobia as the reason.