Transgender Sanctuary Resolution
Uploaded by
iBerkshires.comTransgender Sanctuary Resolution
Uploaded by
iBerkshires.comCity of North Adams
In City Council
In the City Council, March 25, 2025
Upon the Recommendation of:
• Councilor Andrew Fitch
• Councilor Ashley Shade
• Councilor Lisa Blackmer
• Councilor Deanna Morrow
Resolution
WHEREAS, the trans, nonbinary and LGBTQIA+ community in North Adams and nationally are being
attacked by a relentless onslaught of executive action, aimed at diminishing their agency, dignity and
respect; and
WHEREAS, executive orders are being signed by the president of the United States overreaching
legislative and judicial authority on matters Constitutionally protected, and those rights derived from the
penumbra of other constitutional protections; and
WHEREAS, the federal government has begun to utilize obscure legal means to justify the targeting of
people arbitrarily designated as political enemies and
WHEREAS, tens of millions of dollars have been spent on advertising campaigns aimed at hate and
disparaging the trans community; and
WHEREAS, on January 29, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order seeking to end
gender-affirming medical treatments for children and teenagers under the age of 19; and
WHEREAS, on January 29, 2025, the US Office of Personnel Management released a memo to all federal
agencies ending legal recognition of trans people by replacing all forms that request information about
gender to information about sex; and
WHEREAS, trans immigrants, refugees, and asylees also face additional persecution due to their
immigration status; and
WHEREAS, the Human Rights Campaign reported in 2023, fatal violence against trans and gender
diverse people disproportionately impacts the BIPOC community, making up 85% of all victims
identified since 2013. Almost two-thirds (6 1.8%) of all victims have been Black trans women; and
City of North Adams
In City Council
WHEREAS, the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law reports that 17% of sexual minority
adults have experienced homelessness in their lives, compared to 6% of cisgender straight people, and
that 8% of trans adults have experienced homelessness in the last year alone, while only 3% of cisgender
people did; and
WHEREAS, a survey by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian
Task Force reveals that trans people experience unemployment at twice the rate as the general population,
with trans people of color impacted at a scale four times the national rate. Trans survey respondents
further reported that they experienced extensive discrimination as both renters and homeowners, 19% said
they had been denied a home or apartment because of their gender identity, and their homeownership rates
were reported at only half the national rate; and
WHEREAS, as of the date of this resolution, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts law does not restrict
access to gender-affirming healthcare and bans insurance exclusions for gender-affirming healthcare; and
WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts passed Bill H. 1190, an Act relative to abusive
practices to change sexual orientation and gender identity in minors in May 2019 which bans harmful and
abusive Conversion Therapy practices; and
WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts passed Chapter 127 of the Act of 2022, which protects
individuals seeking sanctuary from out-of-state prosecution and explicitly prohibits law enforcement
agencies from knowingly making or participating in the arrest or extradition of an individual pursuant to
an out-of-state arrest warrant based on another state’s law against receiving gender-affirming healthcare in
Massachusetts; and
WHEREAS, as recognized in M.G.L. c. 12 § III V2 access to gender-affirming health care services is a
right secured by the constitution and laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and
WHEREAS, as a result of anti-trans legislation throughout our nation, many individuals and families are
relocating to states such as Massachusetts that are more accepting and offer inclusive services; and
WHEREAS, healthcare professionals providing gender-affirming healthcare and persons seeking or
receiving care or assisting another individual who is seeking or receiving care in the City of North Adams
should be protected from attempts to impose criminal punishment. civil liability, administrative penalties,
or professional sanctions based on the laws of other states when gender-affirming healthcare is lawful in
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and meets standards for good professional practice; and
City of North Adams
In City Council
WHEREAS, the City of North Adams has previously affirmed a commitment to tolerance and inclusion
as recognized by the City Council of North Adams on February 18, 2018: Resolution Declaring North
Adams’ Commitment To Being A Safe And Inclusive Community; and
WHEREAS, the North Adams City Council affirmed the listed definitions and nature of Massachusetts
General Laws c. 111 § 72GG by Resolution on January 28. 2025. and similarly affirmed the commitment
made prohibiting discrimination against residents on the basis of gender identity or expression, sexual
orientation, intersex status, or HIV status”; and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of North Adams hereby
reiterates its commitment to trans rights and equal protections for trans community members and declares
itself a sanctuary city and a place of safety for trans and gender diverse people; and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of North Adams recognizes the importance of
reproductive healthcare and gender-affirming healthcare as a matter of health, privacy, and equality, and
to ensure, to the greatest extent permitted by law, that those rights are upheld for all residents and visitors
within the City of North Adams; and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of North Adams hereby maintains it should be
the policy of the City of North Adams that no city resources, including, but not limited to, time spent by
employees, officers, contractors, or subcontractors while on duty, or the use of city property, shall be
utilized for detaining persons for solely seeking or providing gender-affirming care, including gender
affirmation surgery or gender hormone therapy; and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the City of North Adams hereby maintains it should be a policy of the
City of North Adams that no city resources 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 North Adams and the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts; and
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City of North Adams as a sanctuary city will not
cooperate with Federal and State on policies aimed to harm trans and gender diverse people and ensure
trans and gender diverse people have access to healthcare, housing, education, and employment without
fear or discrimination.
Approved this day of March, 2025
The North Adams City Council by:
City of North Adams
In City Council
Brian Sapienza, Council President ATTEST
City of North Adams Administration by:
Jennifer Macksey, Mayor ATTEST
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