Sacramento City Council chooses to designate itself as a “sanctuary city” for transgender individuals

The Sacramento, California, City Council voted unanimously this week to become a “sanctuary city” for transgender people, protecting so-called transition tourism.

Sacramento’s resolution would block all city resources from being used to help enforce laws from other states that restrict medical gender transitions for children and adults. The measure would impose “corrective action” on city officials found in violation, but it does not detail what those actions could be.

“We see this as a strengthening measure,” said Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela, sponsor of the resolution, according to the Los Angeles Times. “This is more than just protecting the people who live here. This is also about protecting people who come here from other communities to ensure that we’re not aiding law enforcement activities in their home jurisdiction who may seek to criminalize their quest for healthcare.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed a law in 2022 designating California a transgender “sanctuary state,” blocking California from helping other states penalize families seeking to transition their children. Sacramento’s measure, which it advanced on Tuesday, appears aimed at solidifying access to transgender-related medical services for out-of-state residents as well.

The Democratic Socialists of America had a hand in drafting the resolution. DSA organizer Emily Smet said she anticipates “laws criminalizing out-of-state healthcare in the very near future” and explained that Sacramento’s measure is modeled after sanctuary city laws that block local law enforcement from working with federal immigration authorities.

“California has been a leader in protecting the rights of transgender individuals to access care, but many states across the nation are moving in the opposite direction,” the resolution said. “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.”

Prior to the vote, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said the resolution is a “civil rights” issue, adding, “When it comes to talking about the human rights of people, our city is consistent, and we’re strong.”

However, the move has received some criticism from the Left. University of California, Berkeley, gender and women’s studies professor Eric Stanley said measures of this nature could be misleading out-of-state transition-seekers into thinking their medical interventions will get covered by insurance, the Los Angeles Times reported. Stanley called the move “more or less a political stunt.”

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Sacramento’s resolution comes as at least 24 states have made moves to restrict gender transition procedures, including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and sex-change surgeries, since 2021, according to the Movement Advancement Project, which tracks such laws.

Meanwhile, 14 states and Washington, D.C., have passed “shield laws” similar to California’s sanctuary law to permit child transitions.