Dear Mayor Keller and Albuquerque City Councillors,

We are calling on the city of Albuquerque to declare itself a Sanctuary City and a place of safety for transgender and gender diverse people.  In this time of severe and worsening attacks on civil rights across the nation, and of the specific targeting of transgender and LGBTQIA individuals and communities, it is imperative that we not only create safe spaces, but that we stand up and name these places and affirm our values out loud and in public.

New Mexico has already done outstanding work in protecting medical care for trans people.  That is hugely important, and needs to be supplemented by a commitment to protect people not only from healthcare discrimination, but also from discrimination in housing, education, and employment.  The community needs both practical and political support to affirm people’s ability to live free of discrimination, violence and systemic barriers that threaten their safety, well being and human rights.

We are seeking a resolution that reflects our community’s values, needs and voice, and that includes actionable statements, with urgency to address rising concerns and fears in light of the targeted harms this administration is committing against trans and queer people. Similar resolutions in other sanctuary cities have stated that the city is officially committed to refusing to cooperate with federal or out-of-state entities that would infringe on the rights of trans and queer people.  In addition, they state that taxpayer-funded agencies will not comply with federal efforts to strip resources that safeguard our rights, that the sanctuary cities will not cooperate with federal or state policies that harm transgender and gender-diverse people, and that we remain dedicated to ensuring access to healthcare, housing, education, and employment without fear of discrimination.  We are asking for the City of Albuquerque to stand up for its values of inclusivity and community care for every member of our diverse population by joining this nationwide movement, and creating a similar resolution.

Towards this end, the city must also fill the long-vacant roles of Director and Coordinator in the city Civil Rights office.  These ongoing vacancies mean that most discrimination complaints have gone unaddressed, and the complaint submission form hasn't been updated to reflect current law.

Without adequate attention from Office of Civil Rights staff, most complaints don't get the intake interview. After discussing this idea with Chair Anami Dass from the Human Rights Board, I learned that because there is no private action clause in the Human Rights Ordinance, this is the only process through which the ordinance can be enforced, so when the OCR is unstaffed, the entire law is functionally nullified. What is the purpose of a law designed to help people, with no teeth to enforce it?  We can, and must, do better.

So even though the Human Rights Ordinance includes prohibitions against discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, disability, and pregnancy, the actual tool used to file complaints does not allow people to select those as a form of discrimination they have experienced. If OCR had staff members, those tools could be updated and LGBTQ+ folks would be able to report their experiences, and then to receive an intake interview and have their complaints and concerns addressed. 

Because of this, we are asking the City Council both to fill those glaring vacancies in the city OCR office, and also to create a resolution declaring Albuquerque a Sanctuary City for LGBTQIA people along the lines of similar resolutions across the nation.  

Thank you very much for your time and attention to this important matter.