A progressive Wisconsin county is presently debating a resolution to declare the county a safe haven for transgender and nonbinary people of all ages.
Dane County is home to Madison, the state capital, and this month the board of supervisors’ executive committee will review the resolution. The proposal’s stated goal is to make Dane County a safe space for trans and nonbinary people. The resolution stresses the county’s disapproval of legislation that would open the door to legal violence against transgender people who seek gender-affirming care or who express themselves openly.
The resolution’s acknowledgment that minors have a right to sex-reassignment therapy and surgery is especially noteworthy. It states that everyone in Dane County and the state of Wisconsin has the right to quality healthcare that includes gender-affirming options.
If the state of Wisconsin were to pass legislation imposing criminal or civil punishments, fines, or professional sanctions on individuals or organizations involved in providing or receiving such care, the resolution would take a proactive stance by urging the county’s sheriff to prioritize enforcement of such laws as their lowest priority.
Dane County is officially recognized as a safe space for transgender people of all ages and their families thanks to this resolution. It promises to send the resolution to Governor Tony Evers and other state and local leaders, and it urges other school boards in the county to do the same.
Twenty of the county’s 37 supervisors voted in favor of the measure, giving it overwhelming support. Austin, Texas, and Kansas City, Missouri, are just two of many American towns that have passed laws along these lines.