Wild Testimony Leads to Massachusetts City Declaring Itself a Transgender Sanctuary [WATCH]

The Worcester City Council voted Tuesday night to declare Massachusetts’ second-largest city a sanctuary city for the transgender community.

The decision came after hours of public comment, with many residents expressing concerns over President Donald Trump’s recent executive order mandating that the federal government recognize only two sexes, male and female.

The term “sanctuary city” is typically associated with immigration policies, but Worcester officials have now applied the designation to transgender rights.

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The resolution states that city resources will not be used to detain individuals seeking gender-affirming care, nor will local authorities provide information to out-of-state agencies regarding transgender individuals.

The measure was introduced a month after Councilor-at-Large Thu Nguyen, the first non-binary member of the Worcester City Council, alleged that they had been harassed and misgendered by other city officials.

Thu Nguyen, a nonbinary city councilor for Worcester, Massachusetts with they/them pronouns, announced she is taking a month-long leave due to the unsafe and toxic culture after she was misgendered. She also filed official complaints with the city. pic.twitter.com/GHAK8CufuB

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 16, 2025

The issue sparked discussions within the council and among residents, leading to Tuesday’s vote.

Mayor Joseph Petty spoke in support of the resolution, stating, “I don’t care what your beliefs are, but to take the word ‘transgender’ out of the vocabulary in the federal government is just plain wrong.”

Last night, Worcester, Massachusetts voted to become a “Sanctuary City for Transgender and Gender Diverse People”

The City Council Meeting before the vote was… Interesting: pic.twitter.com/Ouun3BerqB

— ALX (@alx) February 12, 2025

Not all members of the City Council supported the measure.

Councilor-at-Large Donna Colorio and Councilor-at-Large Morris Bergman voted against the resolution, citing concerns about potential financial repercussions for the city.

“There are no new rights that this resolution gives that don’t already exist. However, there’s a potential for federal dollars to be taken away from the City of Worcester,” Bergman said.

Despite these concerns, nine council members voted in favor of the resolution, solidifying Worcester’s stance on the issue.

Worcester joins other U.S. cities that have taken similar actions in support of transgender residents. Sacramento, California, and Ithaca, New York, have also passed resolutions designating themselves as sanctuary cities for transgender individuals.

As the federal government enforces new policies regarding gender recognition, local governments across the country continue to respond with their own measures, setting the stage for further legal and political debates.

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