Residents urge council to place sanctuary-city resolution for trans, intersex and gender-diverse protections

Multiple residents and representatives of local organizations urged the Peoria City Council July 22 to consider placing a sanctuary city resolution on a future agenda to affirm protections for transgender, intersex and gender-diverse residents and to protect bodily autonomy and civil rights.

Speakers included Kathy McNeal, legal committee chairperson for the Peoria ACLU, who said she had provided a draft update to the city’s 2017 welcoming-city resolution and asked council to “update our welcoming city to include all.” Jesse Newjohnson, a parent with a child in foster care, said youth in care who are trans or gender-diverse are especially vulnerable and would benefit from city-level protections. Shane Jocelyn said a coalition of groups — including Peoria Proud, PFLAG, Peoria Now and the ACLU of Illinois — had gathered roughly 400 petition signatures and asked that the resolution be placed on a future council agenda for open discussion and public input.

Speakers emphasized the request was for the council to open discussion and not to pass a resolution immediately. They said the proposed resolution would not override state law but would be an affirmation of local policy and protections that organizers say already align with Illinois law.

No council motion to place the resolution on a future agenda was recorded in the meeting minutes; the remarks were part of the Citizens Opportunity to Address the City Council public-comment period. Councilmembers did not take immediate action at the meeting on the request but councilmembers acknowledged the petition and the speakers’ request for further engagement.