Boston City Council Votes 12-1 to Declare City a Trans Sanctuary

BOSTON — March 12, 2025 — Boston City Council votes 12-1 to declare the city a sanctuary for transgender residents. The resolution, Docket 0655, was sponsored by Councilors Julia M. Mejia and Liz Breadon and drew testimony from community activists including Chastity Bowick, a Black transgender woman and housing and health advocate who called Boston's silence on federal attacks against trans people unacceptable. Councilor Edward M. Flynn cast the lone dissenting vote, saying he needed more information on the resolution's operational implications before voting in favor. Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata, who received more than 500 constituent emails on the matter, and Councilor Henry Santana, who had weighed blocking the vote, both ultimately voted yes while pressing for a binding follow-up ordinance. In the same session, the council unanimously approved 10 federal workforce grants totaling $7,247,060.79 — supporting MassHire Boston career centers that last year served 15,000 job seekers — and a $2,563,236.28 state elder nutrition grant serving older adults at 44 sites across the city.