This past Friday, the Salem City Council unanimously passed a resolution to make the City of Salem a sanctuary city for transgender and nonbinary individuals. In its proclamation, the council notes this status in necessary because “the federal government’s continued actions have encouraged discrimination towards transgender persons by state and local governments, schools, hospitals, businesses, other public and private institutions.”
“The City Council of the City of Salem hereby reiterates its commitment to uphold transgender rights and equal protections for transgender community members under the Constitutions, Laws, Ordinances and Regulations of the United States, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the City of Salem and declares itself a sanctuary city and a place of safety for transgender and gender non-conforming people,” states the proclamation in part.
The proclamation goes on to affirm:
“that the City of Salem recognizes the importance of gender-affirming healthcare as a matter of health, privacy, and equality, and to ensure that those rights are upheld for all residents and visitors within the City of Salem.
“that the City of Salem will ensure a safe and supportive environment for all students regardless of gender identity or expression in the Salem Public Schools, including the protection of teachers and other city employees who help to foster such an environment,” and
“that the City of Salem shall endeavor to work with the Salem Human Rights Coalition; to further identify equity shortcomings for the city’s transgender and gender non-conforming community within municipal government, operations, and practices, to ensure the full protection of said community’s residents and visitors.”
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