That the City Council go on record reaffirming that Cambridge is a Sanctuary City not only for immigrants but also for all marginalized communities, including transgender and nonbinary individuals

O-2 FIRST IN COUNCIL March 3, 2025 City of Cambridge MAYOR SIMMONS VICE MAYOR MCGOVERN COUNCILLOR SOBRINHO-WHEELER WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge has been a proud Sanctuary City since the mid-1980s, declaring its commitment to protecting vulnerable communities from discrimination and ensuring that all residents, regardless of immigration status, are treated with dignity and respect, and are offered the same rights and protections as are granted to all other Cambridge residents; and WHEREAS: The Trump administration has recently initiated attacks on the transgender community, attempting to deny their existence and history while threatening their rights and protections at the federal level, including through efforts to roll back anti- discrimination protections, limit access to gender-affirming healthcare, and undermine the dignity and safety of transgender individuals in public spaces nationwide; and WHEREAS: The federal government's actions have encouraged discrimination towards transgender persons by state and local governments, schools, hospitals, and other public and private institutions; and WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge is committed to being a city where all people, including transgender and nonbinary residents, can feel safe, affirmed, and able to live their lives without risk of discrimination or harm; and WHEREAS: Cambridge has a long history of advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, and it is essential that the City takes action to reinforce and expand its commitment to the transgender community by explicitly including protections for transgender residents in its sanctuary city status; now therefore be it ORDERED: That the City Council reaffirm that Cambridge is a Sanctuary City not only for immigrants but also for all marginalized communities, including transgender and nonbinary individuals; and be it further ORDERED: That the City Council go on record affirming that Cambridge as a Sanctuary City will not cooperate with federal or state policies aimed at harming transgender and gender diverse people, and will take active steps to ensure that transgender and gender diverse individuals have access to healthcare, housing, education, and employment without fear of discrimination; and be it further ORDERED: That the City Council go on record stating that it shall be the policy of the City of Cambridge 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 or gender-affirming mental healthcare performed in Cambridge and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and be it further

ORDERED: That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to forward suitably engrossed copies of this resolution to the Cambridge LGBTQ+ Commission, Cambridge Public Schools' Rainbow Clubs/Gender and Sexuality Alliances/Project 10, Cambridge Health Alliance, the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, and other relevant community organizations to affirm the City’s ongoing support for transgender rights and protections on behalf of the entire City Council.