CALIFORNIA HAS BEEN AN OUTLIER in protections for women and LGBTQ+ people who face arrest and prosecution in other states due to abortion laws or anti-gender affirming care initiatives.
On Thursday, city leaders gathered at the San Francisco City Hall to rally around the expansion of a local law that protects residents from being asked if they have convicted of a crime when they apply for a job or apartment something all the more important for women, individuals and families that move to the city which has been a safe haven for people escaping harsh penalties in other states.
Originally enacted in 2014, the Fair Chance Ordinance was also called “Ban the Box” because it removes the check box on job and housing applications that asks if applicants have ever been convicted of a crime.
“That little box has an outsized power,” California State Controller Malia Cohen said at the rally. “It could end someone’s shot at a fresh start before they ever got a chance to sit down for their interview. “
Cohen coauthored the original legislation when she was on the city’s Board of Supervisors.
Now Supervisor Bilal Mahmood has sponsored an extension of the ordinance to clarify rules for those seeking recourse if their potential employers or landlords violate the ordinance. It would also increase financial penalties for asking if applicants have been convicted of a crime.
The legislation is intended to ensure that out-of-state convictions tied to reproductive health care, gender-affirming care and other actions legal in California can’t be used to deny employment or access to affordable housing in San Francisco.
According to the national health policy nonprofit KFF, abortion is banned in 13 states and has further restrictions before a fetus is viable in 10 more. The Trans Legislation Tracker says that 43 states are considering bills that would negatively impact trans and gender non-conforming people if passed. Violating such laws could end up on a person’s permanent record and show up on background checks performed even in states where their actions were legal.
San Francisco has historically been a sanctuary city and was declared a sanctuary city for transgender and gender non-conforming people in particular in 2024.
Left: Suzanne Ford, executive director of San Francisco Pride, speaks at a rally about the Fair Chance Ordinance at San Francisco City Hall in San Francisco, Calif. Right: Delphine Brody holds a sign at a Pride Month rally about the Fair Chance Ordinance at San Francisco City Hall in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, June 18, 2026. Many LGBTQ+ leaders spoke in support of changes to the ordinance that would extend its protections. (Valerie Conklin/Bay City News)
Suzanne Ford, the Executive Director of San Francisco Pride, told the crowd at the rally that, as someone from a red state, she was grateful to move to San Francisco. In the city she knew she would be celebrated, not prosecuted, when she came out.
“What we’re doing up here today is making sure that any trans person, any woman, any drag queen, when they come to our city, they have the chance at having a big, big life,” said Ford.
Delphine Brody from the activist group Compton’s x Coalition attended and held a sign that said “protect trans youth” at the rally.
“It’s definitely a relief to see that San Francisco is willing to still support important legislation like this and strengthen it with amendments like this one,” she said. “It is essential that we protect refugees from states that have criminalized abortion as well as those states that have criminalized gender affirming care.”
‘No longer controversial in San Francisco’
At the rally, Mahmood said that the original 2014 ordinance wasn’t popular among business owners. He said that despite that history, this expansion hasn’t seen any pushback.
“It’s no longer controversial in San Francisco.” said Mahmood. “We’re here to say to the rest of the state as well that standing up for basic human rights is not controversial and every city and state should follow.”
Supervisor Bilal Mahmood speaks at a rally celebrating the Fair Chance Ordinance and his proposed expansion at San Francisco City Hall in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, June 18, 2026. The legislation is intended to protect women and LGBTQ+ people from facing discrimination in the city for acts that are criminalized in other states. (Valerie Conklin/Bay City News)
The committee voted on the Fair Chance expansion in the City Hall meeting that followed the rally. It passed unanimously and will now be sent with positive recommendations to the Board of Supervisors for a full vote in the summer.