Conservatives Outraged as Massachusetts City Becomes Sanctuary for Trans Community: 'Lord Help Us!'

Worcester, Massachusetts, has officially declared itself a sanctuary city for transgender and gender-diverse people, a move that has caused complaints from conservative voices online.

The City Council passed the resolution late Tuesday in a 9-2 vote after a long debate, with emotional testimonies from residents, as reported by Boston 25.

"Let us remember that the Nazis burned the books on gender sciences first. Now the administration has villainized and marginalized migrant workers, trans, LGBT people, and even special needs, denying life, saving and affirming care," one resident testified.

"I need the city to protect me because the federal government won't," another attendee pleaded.

However, news of the city council's decision prompted backlash from conservative users on social media.

"Last night, Worcester, Massachusetts voted to become a 'Sanctuary City for Transgender and Gender Diverse People.' The City Council Meeting before the vote was... interesting," one user on X posted.

"Lord help us! A trans sanctuary city?" another said. Other users proceeded to refer to the city as full of "clowns."

Meanwhile, others welcomed the news and pushed back against others' outrage.

"Imagine being this mad about people just existing. Couldn't be me," one user responded to the outrage.

"In 2025, this shouldn't have to be, but due to rabid hate, it is very necessary," another user wrote, sharing that they supported the decision.

The resolution, though legally non-binding, affirms Worcester's commitment to safeguarding transgender healthcare access and prohibits cooperation with federal or out-of-state authorities that seek to curtail those rights. The vote builds on previous efforts, including a recent $500,000 funding allocation for LGBTQ+ community resources per Boston 25.

The vote comes amid a wave of policies from President Donald Trump gutting transgender rights, including banning trans women from women's sports, freezing gender identity changes on passports and restricting gender-affirming medical transition care for individuals under 19.

Legal advocacy groups such as GLAD and NCLR have filed a slew of federal lawsuits challenging the policies to prevent immediate harm.