San Francisco Becomes Third ‘Transgender Sanctuary City’ In California

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tues day to declare the city a sanctuary city for transgender people, becoming the third Californian city to do so.

For several years red states and blue states have argued over transgender rights and limitations. Since the 2010’s, over half the states in the country have put into place bans of some sort against students participating in sports that are not of their birth gender. Some states, like Florida, are currently battling for a law blocking youths from undergoing gender affirming care. Others, like Texas, have gone a step further with banning minors from accessing puberty blockers and hormone therapies.

On the other side of the issue, other states have passed laws in favor of transgender rights. San Francisco began a small-scale program giving guaranteed income to transgender people. San Francisco and other states have also put money towards ending transgender homelessness. When it comes to sports and bathroom access, AB 1266, passed in 2013, allows Californians to play on sports teams and use bathrooms according to their gender identity. Many of the laws were also passed in response to other states passing such limitations on transgender issues.

However most recently the issue has been over transgender sanctuary cities. While many cities in California have been mulling over declaring themselves transgender sanctuary cities for the past few years, only two had done it before Tuesday: West Hollywood in April 2023, and Sacramento earlier this year in April.

Following both cities passing laws, transgender and LGBTQ groups such as SF Pride went to San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman to propose such a resolution. He did, creating a resolution declaring San Francisco a sanctuary city for people who are transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex.

“Harvey Milk said ‘you got to give them hope,” said Mandelman on the resolution. “Here are queer and trans people across the country in a lot less friendly places than San Francisco and seeing that people in San Francisco care about them. A majority of these laws specifically target transgender people, including youth. As other cities and states turn up the hate, places like San Francisco need to turn up the love. With this resolution, we are reaffirming that our City has been and will continue to be a sanctuary and a beacon for our transgender and gender non-conforming siblings.”

With little opposition, the Board approved the measure unanimously. San Francisco is now the largest city in the country to declare themselves a transgender sanctuary city, as well as being the third such city in California.

“It is going to get more divisive in the coming years,” explained LGBTQ politics researcher Ellen Webster-Smith, to the Globe on Wednesday. More states will probably put in some bans, while states like California will increase the number of sanctuary cities. San Francisco may be the third to do so out in California, but they won’t be the last. The frequency and number of these is going to be very dependent on the outcome of the election later this year. A Biden/Democratic win will probably lead to an easing or about the same number being passed, while a Trump win could see a flurry being passed, especially in a national transgender bill moves up and, say, blocks athletes in some way.

“Either way, it won’t be quiet. And San Francisco’s passage yesterday is proof that there continues to be a buildup of these pro and anti transgender laws.”

Other cities in California are expected to vote on similar sanctuary city laws soon.