San Francisco recognized Pride Month differently this year — by declaring itself a sanctuary for transgender and gender non-conforming people.
The city’s Board of Supervisors unanimously voted Tuesday in favor of the sanctuary status, making San Francisco one of the first major cities in the nation to do so.
The resolution symbolically indicates those identifying as transgender, gender non-conforming, intersex and two-spirit are safe to seek transitioning health care and that providers are similarly safe, Los Angeles’ FOX 11 reported.
“We have seen an influx of refugees, not just from other countries, but from other states who are seeking care and seeking sanctuary,” said San Francisco’s director of the Office of Transgender Initiatives, Honey Mahogany, said.
The resolution comes as liberal-run communities express concern over laws cracking down on gender procedures, particularly for minors, in red states across the nation.
Lawmakers in Tennessee passed a bill criminalizing adults who help minors get transgender procedures. In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a measure banning transgender treatments for minors, though a federal judge recently ruled key parts of that law unconstitutional.
Other states have addressed transgender issues in other ways, including measures to ensure sex-segregated participation in sports.
Sacramento and West Hollywood have also declared themselves sanctuaries for transgender people, but San Francisco is the first major city to do so, the San Francisco Chronicle reported
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law in 2022 protecting transgender procedures in California by blocking state officials from enforcing other states’ laws that crack down on transgender surgeries and drugs.
While proponents of such surgeries and medications insist they are crucial to protect the mental health of transgender children, opponents argue minors are not old enough to consent to body-altering treatments, especially those that could potentially leave them sterile.
