West Lafayette, Indiana council votes to protect trans lives
West Lafayette, IN – On Monday, July 7, after months of dedicated community action, the West Lafayette city council voted unanimously to pass a resolution protecting gender-affirming care.
After a months-long campaign, a resolution to protect gender-affirming care was brought to a vote at Monday's city council meeting. Months before the vote, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) organized a rally outside the city council building to demand that the resolution be put on the agenda. Following up on this action, members of FRSO and the community met with city council members to discuss the resolution. FRSO mobilized the community to speak at the June 2 city council meeting in support of the resolution. All of this led up to Monday, when more than 40 people, all carrying trans flags, packed the house.
Among those 40 people were representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana (ACLU), Pride Lafayette, Greater Lafayette Democratic Socialists of America, Standing Up for Racial Justice, and the FRSO. All showed up to urge the city council to pass the resolution despite nationwide attacks on transgender people.
“The rights of queer Hoosiers are coming under increasing attack by those who would deny our very existence and use our existence, especially those of our trans siblings, as a wedge issue to sow division and hatred,” said executive director of Pride Lafayette Derrick Jones.
The resolution officially recognizes gender-affirming care as a valid form of medical care and protects both providers and patients. Despite this, the resolution cannot overturn existing state and federal legislation. Regardless of the limitations of the resolution, both the city council and the community recognized its power.
Samantha Bresnahan of the ACLU Indiana said the resolution, “serves as an important safeguard for access to gender-affirming care. Through our work, we’ve seen firsthand the harm caused by the growing number of attacks on the transgender community. Not just here in Indiana, but across the country. These attacks have come in many more forms: executive orders, court rulings, new state laws—including here in Indiana, and regulatory changes. Together they form a broader effort to push transgender people out of public and civic life.”
“To the point of this being a small measure. I don’t think it is. Like the woman before me said, it can’t change the law, but it’s an important step in showing that this is a fight, an uphill battle we should be willing to take on,” said Jack Nowinski, a local community member.
Applause filled the room after each of the 13 speakers made a public comment, and as the city council made its vote, in unanimous support of the resolution.
“The city of West Lafayette has just affirmed any unnecessary legal action against providers or receivers of gender-affirming care is going to be a low priority,” said AJ Dunn, a member of FRSO.
The fight is not over. In 2024, the city of Bloomington passed a similar resolution, and FRSO, with the support of the people, has set a goal to bring this resolution to the greater Lafayette area and the city of Kokomo. The people of West Lafayette have shown us what is possible when we stand up and fight for our rights. No matter the attacks from the Trump administration and attacks from Indiana state legislators, the people refuse to back down.
FRSO holds monthly meetings at the West Lafayette Public Library and the main branch of the Kokomo Howard County Public Library. Follow us on Instagram and email us at [email protected] to sign up for our newsletter.