While Northampton City Council is considering a resolution to declare the city a “sanctuary” for transgender and gender-diverse individuals, Boston has yet to take formal steps to pass a similar measure. However, Boston officials have made efforts to protect and support the LGBTQ+ community in other ways.

City council candidate Jacob deBlecourt and incumbent Liz Breadon debated in the Allston-Brighton city council debate last Thursday, outlining their plans for an inclusive and responsive city government if they win in the election on Nov. 7.

In the neighborhood of Allston-Brighton, which makes up district nine on city council, incumbent councilor Liz Breadon is being challenged by 25-year-old Jacob deBlecourt. Breadon was first elected in 2019, when she became the city’s first openly LGBTQ+ city councilor.