San Francisco votes unanimously to become a sanctuary city for trans & nonbinary people
June 14, 2024San Francisco, California has become the largest city in the nation to designate itself as a sanctuary city for transgender, gender nonconforming, nonbinary, and Two Spirit individuals to access gender-affirming healthcare safely. On Tuesday, the city’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to prohibit city officials from aiding any out-of-state investigations into individuals who obtain, provide, or assist others in accessing gender-affirming care, according to ‘LGBTQ Nation’.
San Francisco now joins a growing list of cities and states adopting safe haven policies in response to Republican-led state legislatures banning gender-affirming care across the country. Some of these legislatures refer to gender-affirming care as “child abuse” and aim to prosecute individuals who help minors receive such care out-of-state, even though major medical associations affirm that such care is safe and essential for the overall well-being of trans individuals.
“A majority of these laws specifically target transgender people, including youth,” City Supervisor Board Member Rafael Mandelman told The San Francisco Chronicle. “As other cities and states turn up the hate, places like San Francisco need to turn up the love.”
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“With this resolution, we are reaffirming that our City has been and will continue to be a sanctuary and a beacon for our transgender and gender non-conforming siblings,” he added.
Cities that have recently declared themselves safe havens include Ithaca, New York; New York City; Lawrence, Kansas; and Kansas City, Missouri. Minnesota, Washington, New York, Colorado, and California are among the numerous states (plus D.C.) that have enacted laws making the entire state a safe haven for gender-affirming care. Additionally, Arizona, Maryland, and New Jersey have issued executive orders declaring the same.
Leading medical associations, including the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the Endocrine Society, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend best-practice gender-affirming care for transgender children and adults, noting that it results in positive mental health outcomes and is not harmful. In June, the American Medical Association reinforced its support for trans healthcare by voting to protect access for both youth and adults at its annual meeting.
San Francisco is also home to the world’s first Transgender Cultural District, which honours the historic events near Compton’s Cafeteria, where, in 1966, a coalition of trans women resisted discriminatory actions by law enforcement. Notably predating the well-known Stonewall Uprising by three years, the Compton’s Cafeteria riot is a significant instance of civil resistance and advocacy within the LGBTQ+ community, marking a pivotal moment in history.
In 2021, San Francisco became the first city in the U.S.A. to officially recognise Transgender History Month.
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