Sacramento is now a sanctuary city for people who identify as transgender.
The city council voted unanimously in favor of the resolution, which stressed the importance of ensuring transgender-identifying people have equal protection. The resolution prohibits using city resources to prevent an individual from seeking care related to their gender ideology.
"This is the sort of thing that you hope is never necessary," said Councilmember Katie Valenzuela while introducing the resolution, per KCRA. "You hope it never gets triggered. That there's never anyone coming to Sac who is potentially fleeing law enforcement for the sole reason of looking for health care."
The resolution warns that while “California has been a leader in protecting the rights of transgender individuals to access care … many states across the nation are moving in the opposite direction.”
“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,” the policy states.
Under the resolution, city resources cannot be used to “cooperate with jurisdictions seeking to enforce laws criminalizing gender affirming care in other jurisdictions.”
The policy declares that “gender-affirming healthcare has been proven to be evidence-based, medically necessary, and lifesaving” and that gender-transition “improves the overall well-being of transgender people.” It also claims that “gender-affirming healthcare for youth is associated with better mental health outcomes and lower risks of suicide.”
“It is necessary and appropriate to exercise the authority vested in the City of Sacramento Charter, including the coordinated and integrated direction, supervision, and control of all City of Sacramento departments, boards, commissions, and other agencies, to protect healthcare professionals and persons lawfully seeking, receiving, and assisting another individual in seeking or receiving of gender-affirming healthcare in the City of Sacramento,” declares the resolution.
Sacramento County is already a sanctuary region for illegal aliens.
California became a sanctuary state for transgender-identifying minors in 2022 after Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 107. Under the law, healthcare providers cannot release the medical information “related to a person or entity allowing a child to receive gender-affirming health care or gender-affirming mental health care in response to a criminal or civil action, including a foreign subpoena, based on another state’s law that authorizes a person to bring a civil or criminal action against a person or entity that allows a child to receive gender-affirming health care or gender-affirming mental health care.”
The policy also bars law enforcement agencies from knowingly assisting in the arrest or extradition of an individual facing an out-of-state arrest warrant for violating another state’s law regarding medical intervention for transgender-identifying minors.
