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It’s official: Worcester is a ‘sanctuary city’ for transgender community
The City Council passed a resolution Tuesday that bestowed “sanctuary” status on Worcester.
The Worcester City Council passed a resolution Tuesday night that gave the city, Massachusetts’ second largest, the label of “sanctuary” for members of the trans, nonbinary, and LGBTQIA+ community.
The resolution, filed by Worcester resident Allie Cislo on behalf of Queer Residents of Worcester and Our Allies, asked the City Council to declare itself “a sanctuary city and a place of safety for transgender and gender diverse people.”
It comes in the wake of a series of executive orders signed by President Donald Trump that include limiting access to gender-affirming care for children and teenagers and reducing the government’s definition of gender to only male and female.
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“The trans, nonbinary, and LGBTQIA+ community in Worcester and nationally are being attacked by President Trump,” Cislo said in the resolution.
In declaring Worcester a “sanctuary city,” the City Council committed to equal protections for LGBTQIA+ people. It affirms that the city recognizes the importance of gender-affirming healthcare and upholding access to it for all within Worcester, that “no city resources…or city property, shall be utilized for detaining persons for solely seeking or providing gender-affirming care,” and that “no city resources [shall] be utilized for cooperating with or providing information to any individual or out-of-state agency or department regarding the provision of gender-affirming healthcare.”
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Mayor Joseph Petty said Worcester needs “to be strong as a community” because there’s “one enemy, and it’s down in Washington.”
“I don’t care what your beliefs are…taking the word ‘transgender’ out of the vocabulary of the federal government is just plain wrong,” Petty said. “Not here in the city of Worcester.”
The resolution, which did not present any new policies or significant changes, passed with a 9-2 vote. At-Large Councilors Donna Colorio and Morris Bergman voted against it.
Cislo initially filed the resolution on Jan. 31, but it was put on hold at a previous council meeting after Colorio moved to table it until the city manager could provide a report on how such a resolution might lead to “potential liabilities” from the Trump administration.
At the meeting Tuesday, dozens of residents shared personal stories, urging the council to pass the resolution. Joshua Croke, co-founder and president of a Worcester-based LGBTQIA+ youth nonprofit, described having to ask City Council for “an acknowledgement, a recognition” as “extremely emotional and taxing.”
“When the president of the United States, in his inauguration speech says that you do not exist, it should matter at our local level,” they said. “It demands a response from our elected officials to say we recognize that you are under attack and in Worcester, we are going to protect you.”
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The Reverend Brae Adams, pastor at Worcester’s United Congregational Church, reported she received “so much hate” after she spoke at last week’s meeting that she had to take down everything she had posted on social media. She devoted her two minutes of speaking time to a moment of silence for “those who have lost their lives, those who are living their lives in terror at this moment,” holding up a sign that said, “City Council what are you afraid of?”
The resolution comes after a nonbinary Worcester City Councilor took a leave of absence, citing incidents of transphobia and discrimination. Thu Nguyen, the first nonbinary person to be elected to any public office in the state, alleged Petty and At-Large Councilor Kathleen Toomey misgendered them “publicly on the council floor” and said Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson has referred to them as “it” more than once.
At the meeting, Nguygen referenced the discrimination and suggested the City Council work with Queer Residents of Worcester and Our Allies to hire a third party, with LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC expertise, to investigate concerns over “transphobia, discrimination, and toxic council culture.” They raised a number of complaints and questions over their experience on the council.
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“You can’t celebrate us without making a real seat at the table for us, one that we earned and fought for,” they said.
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