Kansas City declares sanctuary for gender-affirming care
On Thursday, officials in Missouri’s largest city, Kansas City, approved a resolution to declare it a sanctuary for people seeking or providing gender-affirming care, going against state lawmakers who had voted a day earlier to ban such care for minors and restrict it for some adults.
The resolution says the city will not prosecute or fine any person or organization that seeks, provides, receives, or helps someone to receive gender-affirming care such as puberty blockers, hormones, or surgery. It also says that if the state passes a law or resolution that imposes criminal or civil punishments, fines, or professional sanctions in such cases, personnel in Kansas City will make enforcing those requirements “their lowest priority.”
Kansas City’s sanctuary status sets it apart as a Democratic-leaning city in a state with a Republican governor and GOP-controlled Legislature. The Governor of Missouri, Mike Parson, is expected to sign into law the ban on gender-affirming care, joining at least 16 other states that have enacted similar laws restricting or banning such care for minors.
Gender-affirming care has been available in the US for more than a decade and is endorsed by major medical associations. Republican state lawmakers across the US have attacked gender-affirming care as part of a larger effort to roll back LGBTQ+ rights, arguing that they’re protecting children from decisions they may later regret.
Democratic Mayor Quinton Lucas praised the 12-1 vote, saying the city is committed to being a “welcoming, inclusive, and safe place for everyone, including our transgender and LGBTQ+ community.” Merrique Jenson, the founder of Transformations KC, welcomed the move and said, “This is an important first step in Kansas City’s commitment to trans and nonbinary people. I look forward to trans leaders and Kansas City working together to address the health disparities in our communities and ways we can have sustainable funding & programming reaching all trans people.”
Kansas City’s new sanctuary status joins other cities that oppose state actions to restrict rights for transgender people, such as Austin, Texas. The resolution is seen as an important step in supporting the health and well-being of trans and nonbinary people in the community and demonstrates Kansas City’s commitment to being a safe and inclusive place for all.
Sources
- NBC News
- Los Angeles Times
- ABC News
- The Associated Press
- Feature image is taken from ABC News