Following the lead of communities across the state, the Belmont Human Rights Commission has initiated conversations on whether Belmont should designate itself as a community where transgender individuals are welcome.
“With the current political climate and the rollback of the gains that were made for that community, I feel the town coming out in support of its transgender citizens is really important at this point in time,” said Human Rights Commission Chair Kimberly Haley-Jackson at a recent commission meeting, who added she’s concerned about the rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion measures at the federal level.
In recent months, cities such as Northampton, Worcester, Cambridge, and Boston have declared their respective communities as sanctuaries for people who identify as transgender or members of the LGBTQ community.
In an effort to bring more voices to the table—given there were members absent at the April 10 discussion—the commission opted to continue the conversation to a later date before voting on anything in particular.
“Maybe it’s worth one of us or all of us to show up at the next LGBTQ Alliance just to take the temperature and see how they feel about it,” Haley-Jackson said to members.
She later explained that the commission has two potential options if it wishes to proceed further. One option is to vote on a statement to bring to the Select Board, asking the board to amend a 2017 resolution that Belmont is a “Welcoming Community” to include trans individuals in addition to immigrants and refugees. This would likely be the simplest path forward, according to Haley-Jackson.
That designation resulted from a Town Meeting vote on May 8, 2017, in which the town resolved by a 198-59 vote to “express [its] solidarity with displaced persons and migrants from around the world.” In effect, it enshrined practices of the Belmont Police Department that ensured local officers would not inquire about an individual’s immigration status or detain a person solely based on immigration status.
The second option, she said, would be to craft a warrant article seeking to formally designate Belmont as a “sanctuary city” for trans people. That would require a Town Meeting vote.
