Council members in California's capital city are scheduled to consider a resolution Tuesday that would declare Sacramento a "sanctuary city" for transgender people. The proposal will be presented at the council's 5 p.m. session this evening, notably after Mayor Darrell Steinberg recognizes International Transgender Week of Visibility.
District 4 Councilmember Katie Valenzuela, who introduced the resolution, told Newsweek that it is "modeled after similar sanctuary city legislation we passed to protect immigrants and asylum seekers." It seeks to ensure transgender rights and prevent the use of city resources, including law enforcement officers, to detain those seeking gender-affirming care.
A growing number of states are adopting policies that restrict access to gender-affirming care, especially for minors. According to the nonprofit health policy research center, KFF, formerly The Kaiser Family Foundation, as of January 2024, 23 states have laws or policies that limit minors' access to gender-affirming care. Over the past two years, there has been a five-fold increase in states with prohibitive measures. KFF estimates that 38 percent of transgender youth live in states with restrictive policies.
"We are starting to see more people come to our community seeking gender-affirming care," Valenzuela told Newsweek, adding that this legislation was "directly informed by constituents of mine who identify as LGBTQ+."
The resolution is intentionally timed to come just prior to March 31, the International Transgender Day of Visibility, Valenzuela told Newsweek.
"In preparation of future legislation that may criminalize those providing or seeking gender-affirming care and given the Council's stated values of equity and inclusion, it is important for the City of Sacramento to be proactive in reiterating our commitment to transgender rights and equal protections for transgender people by declaring ourselves a sanctuary city and a place of safety for transgender people," the proposal reads.
Valenzuela says the resolution is shaped by a similar piece of legislation passed in Ithaca, New York. If approved, Sacramento would join the growing list of sanctuary cities for transgender people, a group that includes Ithaca, Pittsburgh and Kansas City, among others. Since 2022, California has been declared a sanctuary state for transgender individuals.
Some opponents view laws or policies to restrict gender-affirming care for minors as an attack not just on the transgender community, but on the entire LGBTQ+ community. For some, they say the moves are an attempt to roll back gay rights legislation, such as same-sex marriage.
Public opinion, however, remains divided on the issue.
A May 2023 poll by the Washington Post-KFF, which included 1,338 adults, found that 68 percent of adults oppose access to puberty-blocking medication for children between the ages of 10 and 14 while 58 percent oppose access to hormone treatments for teens aged 15 to 17. The same poll found that most Americans disapproved of teachers discussing transgender identity with students before high school. Specifically, 77 percent of respondents believed it is wrong up to third grade, 70 percent deemed it inappropriate up to fifth grade and 52 percent opposed it in middle school.
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