Council approves resolution: Barrington now a sanctuary town
Resident: ‘As a mom, this resolution warms my heart’
Members of the Barrington Town Council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution declaring Barrington a sanctuary town for transgender people and all members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community and their …
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Council approves resolution: Barrington now a sanctuary town
Resident: ‘As a mom, this resolution warms my heart’
Members of the Barrington Town Council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution declaring Barrington a sanctuary town for transgender people and all members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community and their allies.
The vote was taken during the April 7 council meeting.
Barrington Town Council President Braxton Cloutier drafted the resolution, which is intended to affirm the town’s “commitment to transgender, non-binary, and all LGBTQIA2S+ people’s rights, and for their equal protection…”
Cloutier introduced the resolution during the council meeting but did not read it aloud. He said it was intended to speak out against policies that undermine protections that are in place for people in the LGBTQIA2S+ community.
Councilor Kerry O’Neill said he was very pleased to see the resolution. He said it was an important declaration for Barrington to make, adding that one of the reasons his family enjoys living in this community is the diversity of people who call Barrington home.
Councilor Kate Berard said it was important to make statements such as this resolution in the current climate. She said she looked forward to adopting the resolution. Councilor Jordan Jancosek said she was pleased to see the resolution and thanked Cloutier for putting it forward.
Cloutier opened up the agenda item for public comment and more than a half-dozen residents shared their support for the resolution. One resident said she was a social worker and referenced some of the President’s recent executive orders which are intended to restrict gender-affirming care.
Another resident who is a psychologist strongly supported the council’s decision to make this statement.
“As a mom, this resolution warms my heart,” she said.
Barrington resident Jacob Brier also spoke in favor of the resolution. The former member of the Barrington Town Council said the resolution will provide real, tangible safety for people in the community.
Rebecca Taub, a member of the town’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, urged members of the council to adopt the resolution. She told them that their decisions have the power to shape the future.
A Middle Street resident told the council that she knows children who live in this community who are scared right now. She said that by becoming a sanctuary town, it sends an important message to those children, that their town supports them.
Barrington resident Tom Rimoshytus told councilors he was not quite sure what the resolution did. He asked if it would support residents so they are not refused medical treatment. Rimoshytus also said that he believes Barrington is a very accepting community and has been for years. He said one of his sons graduated from Barrington High School in 2012 and he felt that the community was accepting then.
“This town has come a long way,” Rimoshytus said.
He added that he was not sure the resolution was needed, and wondered what it did beyond welcoming people.
We already welcome everybody, he said.
Barrington resident Janine Wolf said she was a little confused, and asked for clarity on the practical goal of the resolution. She also said that people who oppose some current policies involving children get painted in a negative light. Wolf said the resolution contained some untruths. She said that with some improvements, it could become a statement for all.
A short time later, a Barrington resident approached the microphone and offered an apparent response to those who say they do not understand the resolution. She said peoples’ rights are being stripped away all over the country. She said that by defending the rights of the LGBTQIA2S+ community, the council is defending everyone’s rights. The resident said people living in other communities do feel targeted.
Another resident echoed that comment. She said Barrington needs to adopt the resolution because there are other towns across the country are making an opposite statement.
Councilor Liana Cassar praised all the people who stood up and shared their comments during the discussion. She then referenced an important part of the Pledge of Allegiance — “With liberty and justice for all.”
Cassar said it is important for members of the community to know they are welcome in this council chamber.
Jancosek also referenced a recent Barrington School Committee meeting where officials were adopting a change to the district’s Title IV policy stemming from changes at the federal level.
Berard said she did not see the resolution as a political statement, rather she believed it was commitment to the community.
Cloutier shared that sentiment — he said the resolution, to him, was not political. He also shared a short story about how his husband had reservations about moving back to Barrington because of the trauma he endured while growing up in this town.
Cloutier also said he was grateful to everyone who spoke, and then made a motion to adopt the resolution. Jancosek seconded the motion, which passed 5-0.
