Worcester City Council votes favorably for transgender ‘sanctuary city’

By Tanya Connor
The Catholic Free Press

The Worcester City Council voted last week to declare Worcester a sanctuary city for “transgender and gender diverse people.”  

Last month the council voted to refer to the city manager a request for $500,000 to be allotted annually for “needs of the LGBTQIA+ community.”

Some topics underlying such council agenda items are of concern to the Catholic Church.  
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “Man and woman have been created, which is to say, willed by God: on the one hand, in perfect equality as human persons; on the other, in their respective beings as man and woman. ‘Being man’ or ‘being woman’ is a reality which is good and willed by God.”

In March 2023, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine published guidance about health care policy and practices. Referencing the teachings of Pope Francis, the committee wrote, “As Pope Francis has taught, young people in particular need to be helped to accept their own body as it was created, for ‘thinking that we enjoy absolute power over our own bodies turns, often subtly, into thinking that we enjoy absolute power over creation.  … An appreciation of our body as male or female is also necessary for our own self-awareness in an encounter with others different from ourselves. In this way we can joyfully accept the specific gifts of another man or woman, the work of God the Creator, and find mutual enrichment.’”

The USCCB doctrine committee also stated the Church’s opposition to interventions that “involve the use of surgical or chemical techniques that aim to exchange the sex characteristics of a patient’s body for those of the opposite sex or for simulations thereof.”

Worcester’s city council voted Jan. 28 on the request for a “Queer and Trans Resilience Fund.” There were 9 yeas, and a nay from Councilor Donna M. Colorio, with Councilor Thu Nguyen absent. The request is to be reviewed when the city determines its next budget, Thomas Matthews, media and public relations administrator for the city manager’s office, told The Catholic Free Press.

Councilor Kathleen M. Toomey said she didn’t think the budget would accommodate this, especially since other special interest groups, such as those supporting people of a particular ethnicity, requested money earlier. She suggested they all seek grants before asking for city funding.  

At the Feb. 11 city council meeting Mayor Joseph M. Petty moved for a roll call vote to adopt the sanctuary city resolution brought by Allie Cislo on behalf of Queer Residents of Worcester & Our Allies. The resolution was adopted with nine yeas. Councilors Colorio and Morris A. Bergman opposed it.

One reason given for the resolution was that “the trans, nonbinary, and LGBTQIA+ community in Worcester and nationally are [sic] being attacked by President Trump’s executive action ... stating that the U.S. government will now recognize only two sexes – male and female.”  

Another reason was the president’s Jan. 28 executive order that his administration would seek to prohibit certain types of medical or surgical gender reassignment procedures for minors who identify as transgender.

The resolution gave statistics about transgender people suffering violence, homelessness, unemployment, discrimination and being at risk for suicide.

It cited Massachusetts laws allowing gender-reassignment and protecting “individuals seeking sanctuary from out-of-state prosecution.”  

So, the resolution asked that Worcester reiterate its “commitment to transgender rights,” declare itself a place “of safety, and recognize the importance of” gender-reassignment “healthcare.”

It called for Worcester to not cooperate with federal and state policies aimed at harming transgender and gender diverse people and ensure they have access to healthcare, housing, education and employment without fear of discrimination.

Councilor Toomey told The Catholic Free Press that voting for the resolution was upholding Massachusetts laws. Asked why the resolution was necessary, she said, “because people felt that they needed to be supported,” given President Donald Trump’s actions.  

A member of St. John Parish in Worcester, she said she voted for it because “I have to respect all people,” whether or not she agrees with their lifestyle. “We’re all human beings and God’s children and it’s important to try to treat each other with respect.”

She said she was dismayed at antisemitic slurs hurled at Councilor Bergman for opposing the resolution; “you don’t say you want acceptance as one group and then tear down another group.”

Councilor Bergman said the resolution did not add anything new; there are already safeguards in place.

He expressed concern that Worcester could lose federal funding by declaring itself a sanctuary city.

Responding to a city council request for information about potential liabilities of declaring Worcester a sanctuary city, City Solicitor Alexandra H. Kalkounis wrote that in 2017 Massachusetts cities “successfully challenged President Trump’s executive order that would strip funding” for sanctuary cities; they said this was an unconstitutional penalty for not aiding immigration enforcement.

But the city solicitor said, “We cannot be sure what executive order the president will issue or how the court … will rule” if pending litigation matters get to that stage; “there is no historical precedence” for executive orders about gender reassignment.