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Eureka Declared a ‘Trans Sanctuary City’ · KMUD News

• 0:00
  Speaker A: The city of Eureka is now a trans sanctuary city after the City Council unanimously approved a resolution declaring it so. At its January 20 meeting, the council approved a resolution defining Eureka as a sanctuary quote for transgender people and gender affirming health care. As noted in it, the resolution mirrors SB 107, a 2022 state law that explicitly prohibits law enforcement agencies from knowingly making or participating in the arrest or extradition of an individual pursuant to an out of state arrest warrant based on another state's law against receiving gender affirming health care in California. During a public comment period, many speakers supported the resolution with MC Chavez saying it shows the city's commitment to human rights.
• 0:57
  Speaker B: As a queer constituent of this city, I stand here before you as a lived experience. To me, the importance of a transgender sanctuary city is a verbal city commitment that this community is a safe space for transgender, queer, LGBTQ folk, that this city is committed to the recognition of their livelihoods and it is a valiant stand against the oppression that is happening in this country today. While it is plausible that there could be conflicts of larger protection towards healthcare professionals or even the queer community living up here on a federal level, where which we will cross that bridge as we continue to move along with the current administration that we unfortunately are under, by beginning this process, can we take the necessary steps forward to protect our people and those who provide them with life saving care and continue to have conversations about what that protection looks like As a human being to another human being, I implore you to stand by your community members. It is imperative that we stand together.
• 1:54
  Speaker A: Other speakers said the resolution is a very rare and wonderful thing and a credit to our community. Protecting community members rights to health care and human dignity is not a niche issue, it's foundational. Pippa Coulter, a Eureka pediatrician, said the benefits of gender affirming health care for children have been thoroughly studied and is safe and effective despite some states banning it. But two speakers opposed the resolution, with one referring to the Bible's condemnations of homosexuality. A speaker identifying herself as Beth said it's not possible to change your sex and urged the council not to approve the resolution.
• 2:43
  Speaker C: The idea that we would ever possibly believe that humans can change their sex because they're uncomfortable in their bodies is the most insistent, insane idea that I ever could imagine would happen in modern times. You know, the idea that right now in California we have boys competing in girls sports at the high school level, at the CIF level there is now, you know, I don't know, we have no idea of how many boys are taking away scholarships and medals and in the safety and the dignity and the privacy of girls in the locker rooms in Eureka. I mean, how insane it is that this city council wants to say that it doesn't matter if you're a girl or you're a woman, that you have to let any delusional boy or man into your space because that's what makes them feel good, that the feelings of men are more important than the safety of women. It's just an insane idea.
• 3:39
  Speaker A: But the majority of speakers strongly supported making Eureka a trans sanctuary city, as did council members. Some have criticized the council for virtue signaling in this and other resolutions, but council member Mario Fernandez said that's not a bad thing.
• 3:58
  Speaker D: It is virtue signaling because we are giving a statement of our values, and there's only so much that we can do up here from this dais to begin with. And that's why you'll often hear me cite the refrain of like, what is it that we can do for ourselves? What is it that we can do for each other?
• 4:15
  Speaker B: And.
• 4:15
  Speaker D: And I will say, at least for me, something that I had posted yesterday as well, with it being Martin Luther King Jr. Day, taking from his quotes and putting it into some of my own words. There is an urgent moral need for direct action and civil disobedience against the injustices of our country, and that includes the deportations without due process, the summary execution of protesters, unprovoked military actions. And so we need to advocate for radical justice and be the extremists for love and justice.
• 4:49
  Speaker A: Council member Katie Moulton said it's important to show that the city values its trans and LGBTQ residents, especially trans youths, who she said have a suicide rate seven times higher than the rest of the youth population. After making some mostly stylistic language changes, the resolution was unanimously approved, with council member Rene Contreras deloach absent in Eureka. For KMUD News, this is Daniel Mintz.