Sacramento declares itself a sanctuary city for transgender people, after multiple GOP-run states banned surgeries and hormone treatments for children

Sacramento officials have voted to become a sanctuary city for transgender people - as multiple Republican states have started banning so-called gender-affirming care for children.

California's capital is the first in the state to vote for such legislation after the bill introduced by councilmember Katie Valenzuela was unanimously approved by City Council.

Sacramento follows Ithaca, New York, which has also passed similar legislation. 

'California has been a leader in protecting the rights of transgender individuals to access care, but many states across the nation are moving in the opposite direction,' the local official said, as reported by Fox40. 

'In preparation of future legislation that may criminalize those providing or seeking gender-affirming care and given the Council’s stated values of equity and inclusion, it is important for the City of Sacramento to be proactive in reiterating our commitment to transgender rights and equal protections for transgender people.'

Sacramento officials have voted to become a sanctuary city for transgender people

The bill introduced by councilmember Katie Valenzuela and unanimously approved Tuesday

The group Moms for Liberty, which campaigns against allowing gender-affirming care for children, protested the bull outside City Hall on Tuesday

The group Moms for Liberty, which campaigns against allowing gender-affirming care for children, protested the bull outside City Hall on Tuesday.

Sacramento Beth Bourne told Fox40: 'If we’re so progressive in Sacramento, why are we going against what all these European countries are doing... This does not make sense.'

Bourne was referencing the growing list of European countries which have stopped providing surgeries and hormones to children after allowing them for years. The U-turns come amid growing claims children who say they are trans should receive intensive psychological help and support before undergoing chemical or surgical treatment.

Protesters held signs with messages such as 'don’t let your body be their piggy bank' and 'gender clinics harm children.'

Meanwhile trans advocate Sabrina Naves told CBS News that families have been moving to Sacramento from other states that have restricted treatments for children with gender dysphoria. 

The bill, which went into effect immediately, restricts city employees from using any resources in enforcing other states' policies against trans care. 

At least 23 states in the country have either banned or restricted gender-affirming care. 

Measures to narrowly define sex as male or female, or to conflate the terms gender and sex are cropping up in over a dozen US states this year

However, a Biden administration proposal to forbid such outright bans is set to be finalized this year after multiple delays and much pushback. As proposed, the rule would establish that blanket bans would violate Title IX, the landmark gender-equity legislation enacted in 1972.

LGBTQ+ advocates say that most of the states inclined to pass bans on gender-affirming care have done so, and that they now expect them to build on those restrictions and expand them to include adults. With legislatures in most states up for election this year, transgender youths and their families worry about again being targeted by conservatives using them as a wedge issue.

In Ohio, House Republicans voted in January to override Republican Governor Mike DeWine’s veto of legislation banning all forms of gender-affirming care for minors. The Senate is expected to follow suit this month. 

An opinion poll found that at least 8 percent of trans adults have already left their neighborhood or state due to the new rules affecting them, and another 43 percent are thinking about making a move

The State Capitol is illuminated in rainbow colors to celebrate PRIDE month

Despite his veto, DeWine signed an order banning the rare occurrence of gender-transition surgeries before adulthood. He also proposed rules mandating a care team for children and adults that critics say could severely restrict access for all patients.

Those who support the bans say they want to protect children and have concerns about the treatments themselves. Major medical groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, oppose the bans and have endorsed such care, saying it’s safe when administered properly.

Last year’s limits included a Florida law that has made it nearly impossible for many transgender adults in the state to receive gender-affirming care. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has promoted that ban as one of his accomplishments.