BREAKING UPDATE: Boston Mayor Wu SUSPENDS gift cards for LGBTQ+ migrants over ‘safety threats’
The program, backed by Mayor Wu’s Office for Immigrant Advancement, is being spearheaded by the nonprofit “OUTnewcomers.”
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The program, backed by Mayor Wu’s Office for Immigrant Advancement, is being spearheaded by the nonprofit “OUTnewcomers.”
Update: Boston’s "Project Belonging Matters" has been suspended by OUTnewcomers. The LGBTQ "migrant justice" group said the decision was based on the group and its founder, Sal Khan, receiving death threats and threats to report them to ICE. "These threats have created serious concerns for the safety and well-being of both leadership and the vulnerable community members the program serves," a press release stated.
Khan said in a statement, "While we remain deeply committed to this work, the safety of our community must come first. We are taking this pause to assess risks and ensure that we can continue our mission in a way that protects those we serve."
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Original story follows.
Democrat Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is funding a program that provides hundreds of dollars in "wellness" allowances to queer and transgender migrants, including massages, hair appointments, and gym memberships. The taxpayer-funded allowances come amid a massive $48.4 million budget deficit, the New York Post reported.
The program, backed by Mayor Wu's Office for Immigrant Advancement, is being spearheaded by the nonprofit "OUTnewcomers." It's intended to support LGBTQ+ migrants as they navigate through so-called unhealed "trauma," according to the group's advertisement.
"We're offering $250-$500 wellness allowances for LGBTQ+ migrants in Boston to support their mental health and well-being through non-clinical care, including yoga, meditation, creative healing, peer support, hair salon, acupuncture, massage appointments, and gym memberships, etc," the advertisement states. "Project: 'Belonging Matters' is our way of saying: you deserve rest, healing, and community. Many LGBTQ+ migrants carry trauma, isolation, and survival on their shoulders often without access to care."
The pricey vouchers, which can only be used in Boston, are given solely to "low-income, isolated queer and trans migrants, asylum seekers and refugees," according to the group.
It's unclear how much taxpayer funds Mayor Wu's Office will be distributing to the "wellness program."
The Trump administration has chastised Mayor Wu for pledging to preserve Boston as a sanctuary haven for illegal immigrant criminals, despite a federal crackdown on illicit migration. Recent ICE arrests in Boston include convicted murderers and child rapists, according to ICE records.
https://twitter.com/BillMelugin_/status/2041504276749369436?s=20
Some individuals slammed Mayor Wu on social media over the new program, claiming that she is prioritizing noncitizens over her own constituents and using their hard-earned taxpayer money to do so.
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