The City of Somerville pointed to the national political landscape as reason for moving a March 2 name change clinic online, rather than in person as planned.
“The nation is experiencing a nationwide epidemic of violence against transgender, nonbinary, intersex and gender expansive individuals – especially targeting children. We are seeing a rise in hate crimes and anti-transgender legislation, and it is our responsibility to work together with our constituents and community partners to respond with support and relevant services. In this context, we strive to be thoughtful and adaptable when it comes to planning events. In this case, discussions with the event host led to a decision to move the workshop online, and a safe and successful event resulted,” city spokesperson Denise Taylor said in an email to Cambridge Day.
The event comes roughly one month after the Trump administration issued an executive order declaring that the government recognizes only two sexes. The move led the State Department to suspend all production of passport applications with their sex marked as “x” and discontinue the policy that allows such changes.
The name change clinic was hosted by the City of Somerville’s Health and Human Services/LGBTQ+ Services in collaboration with the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, City of Cambridge LGBTQ+ Commission and Cambridge Public Library to connect residents with resources to change their name legally in Massachusetts. The event was the second in the series, with the first being held at the Central Square branch of Cambridge Public Library.
“It went well,” Cambridge director of libraries Maria McCauley said of a Feb. 11 event that saw 34 attendees. “Each institution makes their own decisions about what event format works best for them, and virtual events are a great way to enhance accessibility and are increasingly popular among library patrons,” she said in an email to Cambridge Day.
A warning that the event was moved online came less than 24 hours after a Somerville Public Library post promoting the event gained attention. One commenter was Christine Doherty, a Somerville resident who identifies herself as director of operations for Super Happy Fun America – the group behind drag queen story hour protests last fall; a library event was canceled after a bomb threat.
The event too was promoted on the Somerville Public Library’s Facebook page, drawing more than 500 commenters. “As a Massachusetts taxpayer, I found it inappropriate for the city of Somerville to use city resources to hold a name change clinic for individuals who identify as transgender,” Doherty said to Cambridge Day.
Super Happy Fun America describes itself as a “right of center civil rights organization focusing on defending the Constitution, opposing gender madness and defeating cultural Marxism.” It is known for hosting a 2019 Boston straight pride parade, sparking national outrage.
Relief over decision
Although the group denied affiliation with the bomb threat made against the library, residents have expressed concerns over a repeat. “Here’s hoping there’s some kind of security at these events in case [Nazis] show up,” wrote Amare Diotte on the Feb. 27 post.
“I do not think it is safe to advertise queer, and especially trans-specific, in-person events to the general public. It should be done within the community itself, otherwise nefarious groups might show up, even in a progressive place like Somerville,” said Diotte in a comment to Cambridge Day, pointing to 2022 drag queen story hour protests in Jamaica Plain.
Diotte doesn’t feel the city is able to protect transgender community members “if the city does not have the inclination or resources to protect the public servants who work at their libraries.” The library reduced hours due to teen violence and saw workers quit, citing harassment. “Needless to say, I was relieved when they switched to a virtual format, even if I had no intention of going myself,” Diotte said.
The relief was shared by another person with close ties to the transgender community. “I’m pleased that the city is both offering programming to support trans folks and taking steps to ensure the safety of these events,” said the resident. “It doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence in that commitment,” she said of unchecked social media comments on the name change clinic and story hour.
Other steps
Somerville has taken steps to reaffirm its commitment to protecting LGBTQ+ community members in light of events at the federal level; on Feb. 27 the City Council passed a resolution in support of the transgender community; the School Committee voted unanimously Feb. 3 in support of a resolution to protect transgender students.
Some councilors have gone as far as pressing the city to inquire as to the possibility of creating a LGBTQ Legal Services Stabilization Fund that would pay residents’ fees to change their gender marker and associated documents. The costs add up, councilor Willie Burnley Jr. said, and could help “people who did nothing wrong and in some cases might have a lot of this documentation, but just not in a way that aligns with what the federal government recognizes them as under an extremely hostile right-wing perspective.”
“Somerville has long been a leader in supporting the rights and equality of its transgender and nonbinary residents and is certainly one of the places that many people in Massachusetts and from other states seek out as a safe haven,” said Kelsey Grunstra, deputy director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition.
Grunstra, who was sponsored by Burnley to speak to the council, said the coalition has seen an uptick in individuals seeking resources since the Trump administration took office and pleaded that the council act with urgency. MassTPC was one of the library name change clinic hosts, but did not respond immediately to a request for comment on the decision to move the event online.
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