Boston City Council passes Trans Day of Visibility resolution, advances school building authority proposal

BOSTON — March 19, 2025 — Boston City Council unanimously passes Trans Day of Visibility resolution and refers school building authority proposal to committee. The council, presided over by Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, recognized March 31 as Transgender Day of Visibility through a resolution sponsored by Councilors Sharon Durkan, Henry Santana, and Liz Breadon, citing over 500 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in state legislatures last year and ongoing federal rollbacks. Louijeune also introduced a hearing order — co-sponsored by Councilors Julia M. Mejia and Brian Worrell — to explore creating a Boston School Building Authority, noting that fewer than 27 percent of BPS facilities score above 50 on the city's own facilities report card, with deferred maintenance costs estimated at well over $3 billion. The council confirmed three Audit Committee appointments — Samantha Reimer, Janet Peguero, and Lawrence DeCara — and passed an ordinance reducing the Boston Commemoration Commission's quorum threshold from 23 to 19 members ahead of the U.S. 250th anniversary in 2026. A $350,000 Red Sox arts and parks grant was held in committee after at-large councilors raised questions about whether spending had been concentrated in the Fenway rather than distributed equitably across Boston.