Worcester council sends LGBTQ safety petitions to city manager after tense debate over wording of $500,000 fund

Noah (registered voter), reading petitions filed with the council, asked the City Council to request that the city manager work with area LGBTQIA+ organizations to create an action plan addressing safety concerns about transphobia and discrimination and to establish a $500,000 “queer and trans resilience fund.” The petitions proposed that fund priorities and distribution be determined through a transparent process overseen by an ad hoc committee of LGBTQIA+ community members modeled after the city’s ARPA ad hoc process.

The petitions dominated public comment: more than two dozen residents and community leaders urged the council to take immediate, material steps. Ally Kane, a local inclusion trainer, told the council that “you have the opportunity to use your power and influence to condemn transphobia,” and several speakers asked for a public apology and concrete resources. Multiple speakers said they feared the city’s responses so far were “performative” and demanded measurable commitments, including…