Boston’s City Council voted on March 12 to officially designate the city as a sanctuary for transgender individuals and the wider LGBTQ+ community. Out of 13 councilor members, Councilor Ed Flynn was alone in voting “no” in the 12-1 decision, raising concerns among Boston residents.
The non-binding declaration aims to protect members of Boston’s community from recent “escalation in anti-trans rhetoric and violence,” Councilor Liz Breadon said at the meeting.
According to a statement to The Daily Free Press, Flynn defended his vote by citing his past activism and claiming to be uninformed on the scope of the resolution.
“With public hearings and testimony on what the legislation would entail, I would support an ordinance proposed by Councilor Mejia based on my strong record of advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community,” Flynn wrote.
Kenny Jervis, a Bostonian who bartends at MGM Music Hall at Fenway and Model Cafe in Allston, said Flynn’s vote was “disheartening” and that it amplifies anti-trans action currently being undertaken by the federal government.
“The federal administration is really doing all it can to eliminate the trans community,” said Jervis. “[Flynn’s] the counselor for a district with two very high profile LGBTQ clubs … he’s well aware of the plight of the community.”
The resolution followed President Donald Trump’s executive orders that rolled back LGBTQ+ transgender rights, such as orders restricting gender recognition and banning transgender women from participating in women’s sports.
“We fought a king 276 years ago,” Jervis said. “Why are we allowing this type of ideology to seep in from the federal level?”
Like Flynn, Jervis is from South Boston. Jervis said when Flynn voted against the sanctuary city resolution, the “contrarian” politician failed to represent the wants and needs of his constituents.
“He’s holding on to an old Southie Irish Catholic-laden Neighborhood” Jervis said. “It’s 2025. We shouldn’t even be having this discussion.”
Shaplaie Brooks, the director of the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth, said the Commission agreed with Councilor Henry Santana’s stance on the declaration. Santana voted “yes,” despite having qualms about the resolution’s nonbinding nature.
However, Brooks said she was “uninterested in rushing to judgment” regarding Flynn’s vote, considering that several unrelated factors could have influenced his choice.
“Boston has a strong history of protecting LGBTQ people,” Brooks said. “I don’t think anyone in the city believed that one vote would sway that.”
Brooks, who has worked to prevent the sexual exploitation and trafficking of children, hopes the resolution protects the LGBTQ+ community from all angles of threats.
“Gender affirming care includes not only medication, medical things — it also includes therapy and gender affirming items,” Brooks said. “Without those life saving items, young people are placed more at risk for commercial sexual exploitation.”
Quincy resident Sasha Sears is a bartender at Dani’s Queer Bar, which opened in Back Bay in September. Dani’s is not only Boston’s first lesbian bar in decades — it is also one of only 34 in the nation, according to The Lesbian Bar Project.
“Dani’s being here is almost like a beacon,” Sears said. “It’s been a place that people have been wanting for a long time, and I feel like that’s kind of where our city and the people in it are moving towards.”
Sears said Flynn’s “no” vote is out of step with Boston’s ethos.
“Boston stands as a progressive city in terms of equality and protections for their own people,” Sears said. “Honestly, I think that [Flynn is] in the wrong state.”
Alexander Johnson, a senior at Boston University who identifies as queer, said Boston’s sanctuary city status may influence his choice between staying in Boston — a city he feels one can “make your own” — or returning to his home state of Florida after he graduates.
“[I] appreciate Boston and appreciate how free I do feel,” Johnson said.“If Boston wasn’t a sanctuary city, I would feel otherwise about that.”
