Proposal aims to make Pittsburgh a 'sanctuary city' for gender-affirming care

Legislation set to be introduced to Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday aims to make Pittsburgh a “sanctuary city” for gender-affirming health care.

The measure, sponsored by Councilwoman Barb Warwick, D-Greenfield, would shield gender-affirming care providers, recipients and legal guardians from out-of-state investigations or prosecution.

The legislation mirrors a measure approved by City Council last summer that similarly protects Pittsburgh abortion providers from out-of-state prosecution.

This comes as 20 states have introduced legislation criminalizing gender-affirming care, Warwick said. The measure aims to ensure Pittsburghers and people who travel to the city to receive such care are safe from out-of-state prosecution, while also shielding the providers of such care from out-of-state prosecution.

A second, related bill would deprioritize local enforcement of such bans if one were to be enacted federally or statewide, Warwick said.

“If certain gender-affirming care services ever became illegal nationwide or in the commonwealth, we would want our law enforcement agencies to deprioritize those types of crimes,” Warwick said. “That would be very much a worst-case scenario.”

The legislation defines gender-affirming care services as “the range of social, psychological, behavioral and medical interventions designed to support and affirm an individual’s gender identity when it conflicts with the gender they were assigned at birth.”

Warwick in the bill cited statistics indicating that 93% of transgender and nonbinary youth report worrying about being denied access to such care.

“If Pittsburgh’s going to be a city where we prioritize human rights and LGBTQIA rights, it’s a good law to have on the books,” the councilwoman said. “Ultimately, health care is something that is between an individual and their doctor, and we should keep it that way.”

Maria Montaño, a spokeswoman for Mayor Ed Gainey and the city’s first transgender press secretary, said this measure is a step the city can take to make Pittsburgh feel like a welcoming city for members of the transgender and nonbinary community.

“Gender-affirming health care is life-saving health care,” Montaño said. “I can say that because it saved my life.”

She credited City Council for vocally supporting transgender issues in the past and continuing to do what it can to protect transgender people in the city.

“I think this broadly speaks to the role that the city of Pittsburgh has as a municipality to protect and affirm the rights of people who live here or people who may want to come here for world-class health care,” Montaño said. “We’re incredibly proud of this piece of legislation.”