Agenda Summary
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In support of transgender and gender diverse community members.
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Official Text
WHEREAS: The LGBTQIA+ community, particularly the trans and nonbinary community, in Somerville and nationally are being subjected to attacks and erasure by President Trump’s executive action on January 20, 2025 invalidating individual gender identity and stating that the U.S. government will not recognize sexes beyond immutable male and female categorization; and
WHEREAS: President Trump took executive action on January 28, 2025 seeking to end gender-affirming medical treatments for children and teenagers under the age of 19; and
WHEREAS: On January 29, 2025, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management released a memorandum to all federal agencies ending legal recognition of trans people by replacing all forms that request information about “gender” with information about “sex” and taking down all websites, social media accounts, and other outward facing media relating to gender identity; and
WHEREAS: The Human Rights Campaign reported in 2023, fatal violence against transgender and gender diverse people disproportionately impacts the BIPOC community, making up 85% of all victims identified since 2013 with 61.8% of all victims having been Black trans women; and
WHEREAS: Transgender immigrants, refugees, and asylees also face additional persecution due to their immigration status; and
WHEREAS: The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law reports that 17% of sexual minority adults have experienced homelessness in their lives, compared to 6% of cisgender straight people, and that 8% of transgender adults have experienced homelessness in the last year alone, compared to 3% of cisgender people; and
WHEREAS: A survey by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force reveals that trans people experience extensive discrimination as both renters and homeowners, with 19% of trans respondents reporting that they had been denied a home or apartment because of their gender identity, and their homeownership rates were reported at only half the national rate; and
WHEREAS: The same survey reveals that trans people experience unemployment at twice the rate as the general population, with trans people of color impacted at a scale four times the national rate; and
WHEREAS: The 2021 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported LGBTQ youth are approximately twice as likely to be bullied at school or online, that in 2021 9.5% of LGBTQ youth experienced threats in school, and that LGBTQ youth are roughly three times more likely to skip school because of feeling unsafe at school or on their way to school; and
WHEREAS: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts recognizes access to gender-affirming healthcare services as a right secured by the constitution and laws of the Commonwealth, bans conversion therapy practices, and protects individuals seeking sanctuary from out-of-state prosecution and prohibits law enforcement agencies from knowingly making or participating in the arrest or extradition of an individual pursuant to an out-of-state arrest warrant based on another state’s law against receiving gender-affirming healthcare in Massachusetts; and
WHEREAS: As a result of anti-transgender legislation throughout the nation, many individuals and families are relocating to states such as Massachusetts that are more accepting and offer inclusive services; and
WHEREAS: Healthcare professionals providing gender-affirming healthcare and persons seeking or receiving care or assisting another individual who is seeking or receiving care in the City of Somerville should be protected from attempts to impose criminal punishment, civil liability, administrative penalties, or professional sanctions based on the laws of other states when gender-affirming healthcare is lawful in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and meets standards for good professional practice; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT
RESOLVED: That the Somerville City Council hereby reaffirms its commitment to LGBTQ+ rights and equal protections for transgender community members, and declares Somerville a sanctuary city and a place of safety for transgender and gender diverse people; and BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED: That the Somerville City Council recognizes the importance of gender-affirming healthcare as a matter of health, privacy, and equality and reaffirms its commitment to securing the rights of individuals seeking gender affirming care, as established by ordinance number 2022-12, ordained by the Somerville City Council on June 9, 2022; and BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED: That the Somerville City Council maintains that it should be the policy of the City of Somerville not to cooperate with federal and state policies intended to harm transgender and gender diverse people, and to ensure transgender and gender diverse people have access to healthcare, housing, education, and employment without fear of discrimination.