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Waltham, Easthampton become latest Mass. cities to pass resolutions protecting trans rights
The Waltham City Council purposefully eschewed the "sanctuary" label that other cities have adopted.
City Councilors in Waltham this week passed a resolution declaring the community to be a “welcoming city” for transgender and gender-diverse people.
With the move, Waltham now follows the path of Boston and many other Massachusetts communities in formally pledging to protect LGBTQ+ people in the age of the second Trump administration.
Other communities have labeled themselves “sanctuary” cities, but Waltham officials specifically pivoted away from this language. The resolution was edited during Monday’s City Council meeting, replacing “sanctuary” with “welcoming” and “refuge” throughout the text of the measure. It was eventually passed with a 13-1 vote.
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Councilor Colleen Bradley-MacArthur, who introduced the resolution, said she decided to change the language because the term “sanctuary” has been weaponized by the Trump administration, especially in debates around immigration enforcement. Some of her colleagues also expressed concern about the federal government potentially targeting Waltham based on the use of “sanctuary.”
“When I first got into local politics, I was told not to worry about national issues. Not only is this bad advice, it’s harmful to our constituents,” Bradley-MacArthur said.
Her resolution contains language dictating that no city resources should be used for “detaining persons for solely seeking or providing gender-affirming care, including gender affirmation surgery or gender hormone therapy.”
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It also said that the city should not use its resources to cooperate with individuals or out-of-state agencies regarding the provision of that care. Finally, the resolution said that Waltham “will not cooperate with Federal and State policies aimed to harm transgender and gender diverse people.”
Bradley-MacArthur said that it was modeled on similar measures in Brookline and elsewhere. Elected officials there passed a similar resolution earlier this month, joining municipalities like Boston, Cambridge, Northampton, Pittsfield, Salem, and Worcester.
Easthampton also passes resolution in support of trans residents
Last week, dozens of people spoke at a meeting of the Easthampton City Council to urge officials to pass a resolution supporting the transgender community. After it was unanimously approved, nearly everyone in the council chambers stood and applauded.
City Councilor Brad Riley of Easthampton grew visibly emotional during that meeting, holding back tears as he described the “fear” he experienced growing up as a queer person.
“I don’t take this platform for granted. I see it as a chance to do what so many could not do for me when I was younger: to speak up, to pay it forward, to say to anyone who feels afraid to live fully and freely that the government of Easthampton will not hurt you. You are seen, you are so beautiful, and you’re welcome here,” Riley said.
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The day after the vote in Easthampton, the Supreme Court upheld a ban on gender-affirming care for minors in Tennessee, worrying their families and allies. Bradley-MacArthur specifically mentioned this news in the text of her resolution, alongside other policies being pushed by the Trump administration.
Proponents of actions like this say that they are not just symbolic gestures, but crucial lifesaving tools. Mona Huntley, a transgender woman from Easthampton, spoke at the City Council meeting there about struggling with suicidal ideation before transitioning.
In recent years, researchers found that 81% of transgender adults in the U.S. have thought about suicide, and that 42% have attempted it. Other data indicates that, in states that passed anti-transgender laws aimed at minors, suicide attempts among transgender and gender nonconforming teenagers increased by as much as 72%.
The federal government, Huntley said, is emboldening “bigots” to be “more cruel and violent” towards transgender people. In the last few months, Huntley said that she and her friends have noticed a significant uptick in hate speech.
A “sanctuary” resolution affirming the safety and rights of LGBTQ+ people, therefore, is a powerful way to send a message about a city’s values and inclusivity.
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“The President is sending a clear message that we are the ‘other,’ that it doesn’t matter what happens to us. And people are listening to that. This is our chance as a community to send the message that that violence, that cruelty, isn’t us,” Huntley said. “It has been a very scary, dark time for trans people and we need a win.”
Waltham is not likely to be the last community in Massachusetts to pass such a resolution, especially if the Trump administration continues to forcefully advocate against gender-affirming care for transgender people.
“Trans people have always existed and they will continue to exist, even if you personally don’t like it,” Bradley-MacArthur said.
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