'Now is the time to take action': Allentown declares support for ‘life-saving’ care for LGBTQ+ people

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown City Council drew the praise of almost all in its chambers Wednesday night.

Dozens who packed the room to show support for a pro-LGBTQ+ measure applauded and cheered after members unanimously passed it.

Council President Daryl Hendricks started the meeting by immediately suspending the body’s rules so it could act on Resolution 48.

The resolution, passed by a 6-0 vote with Vice President Cynthia Mota absent from the meeting, “declare[s] Allentown a safe and welcoming haven for the LGBTQ+ community.”

It also says the city does not and will not “restrict access to gender-affirming healthcare or ban insurance exclusions for gender-affirming healthcare.”

Councilwoman Natalie Santos proposed the resolution just a week ago in response to President Donald Trump’s efforts against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and his executive orders targeting transgender people.

'Lives are at stake'

Several speakers on Wednesday noted a wave of similar anti-transgender legislation is sweeping through state capitals.

Corrine Goodwin offered council members an update on what’s happened since she spoke at the April 10 committee meeting at which the measure was introduced.

There are now more than 850 proposed state laws that target transgender people, according to Goodwin, who chairs the Eastern PA Trans Equity Project’s board.

And some local health care providers are “scrubbing” their websites of references to gender-affirming care after, she said.

That comes after UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh rolled back some of its gender-affirming health services for LGBTQ+ children in response to a Trump executive order.

“People's lives are at stake, and now is not the time to be shy," Goodwin said. "Now is not the time to be reticent.

“Now is the time to take action to protect transgender and queer people who are living in and seeking life-saving care in Allentown. Now is the time to stand up for what is right.”

She called on council to bolster the city’s Human Relations Committee and its nondiscrimination ordinance after passing the resolution.

Rare consensus

Democratic state Rep. Josh Siegel was among the speakers Wednesday night.

“I stand before you tonight as the son of an out gay man and a brother of a trans sister,” Siegel said. “I want to make sure that families like mine in Allentown know that they're loved, they're respected and they're welcomed.”

He said he’s introduced legislation in Harrisburg to “create a shield law around gender-affirming care in Pennsylvania and protect our health care providers from out-of-state prosecutors.”

But “those bills will never see the light of day” in the Republican-controlled state Senate, Siegel said.

The second-term state lawmaker, who served three years on council and is running for Lehigh County Executive, commended members for “lead[ing] by example” in the face of an “administration in D.C. that, I think, is animated by chaos, cruelty and corruption.”

“We know that help and any degree of tolerance, respect and dignity is not going to emanate from the federal government,” Siegel said.

“It is more important than ever now that our local bodies — our counties and our cities — speak with one voice to push back on this hateful narrative” about LBGTQ+ people," he said.

Santos’ six colleagues on council all joined her as sponsors of the bill.

Councilwoman Ce-Ce Gerlach thanked her fellow members for signing on.

“I can't really recall many things that we all can agree on, so it's great to see that we can all agree on this,” Gerlach said.