Brookline Becomes Transgender Sanctuary Community

BROOKLINE, MA — Town Meeting members voted unanimously Wednesday to designate Brookline as a sanctuary town for transgender, non-binary, and gender diverse people.

The vote was specifically about adopting a resolution that declares transgender and other LGBTQ+ students enrolled in the public school district are supported and made to feel safe during their education, trans residents have appropriate accommodations such as restrooms in all public facilities, that local authorities cannot and will not pursue anyone for seeking and providing gender-affirming care, and more.

“Across the country, a wave of legislation has specifically targeted transgender youth and their families, leading to alarming governmental overreach. Nearly half of these bills have resulted in state attorneys general attempting to obtain medical records, conduct invasive investigations, and otherwise threaten patients and their loved ones,” the article’s petition said. “In Texas, the governor has escalated these efforts by signing an executive order that classifies gender-affirming medical care as child abuse, triggering unprecedented child welfare investigations that could forcibly separate transgender children from their families.”

The article was proposed by residents Kevin MacKenzie, Alec Lebovitz, Amy Isikoff Newell, and Bitsy Perlman. It received support from the Advisory Council on Public Health, the Select Board, the Advisory Committee, and the Commission for Women.

Brookline is now the 9th municipality in Massachusetts to pass a resolution, but the first to do so via Town Meeting.