By Sara Montoya-Obando

Students and faculty at the University of Louisville rallied in support of the Safe Haven ordinance on April 8. The legislation would designate Louisville as a sanctuary city for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals.

Councilman JP Lyninger proposed the ordinance as a measure to protect LGBTQ+ individuals. As legislation targeting transgender people increases at the state and federal levels, the measure aims to shield residents from legal action while ensuring access to gender-affirming care and related services. 

Students and faculty gathered on campus, chanting and holding signs as they shared personal stories about how similar legislation has affected their lives.

“I am a refugee from Florida,” said Cat Blackard, who attended the rally. “I’m here to speak on behalf of myself, my wife and my nonbinary child.”

Blackard fled the state after restrictions limited access to gender-affirming care for transgender individuals.

“Leaving my home, being forced to leave my friends and family has been the most traumatic thing that’s ever happened to me,” they said. “I don’t want it to happen to anybody in Louisville.”

Student organizers said they wanted to encourage broader campus involvement in local policy through the rally. 

Garth Noble, president of U of L’s Sexuality and Gender Alliance, helped organize the student coalition supporting the ordinance.

“I’m a trans person living here in Louisville; this directly affects me,” Noble said. “Every day, you see laws being passed in states like Texas, Utah and Idaho that further restrict the lives of trans people.”

Noble added that the issue extends beyond one community.

“This isn’t just a trans issue,” he said. “This kind of discrimination impacts everyone because once targeting starts, it doesn’t stay limited to one group.”

Organizers also pointed to the ordinance’s specific provisions and limitations.

Dare Cima, a student who works as a community organizer with Lyninger, described the proposal as “forward-thinking legislation” aimed at providing legal protections for transgender residents.

“It would prevent data from transgender health centers from being shared with outside agencies,” Cima said. “People seeking care could come to Louisville without fear of being ratted out.”

The ordinance would apply only to city government operations and would not affect private businesses.

The Louisville Metro Council Public Safety Committee will discuss the proposal during its meeting on April 15 at 4 p.m.

Photo by Alex Woodard / The Louisville Cardinal