Reflecting a desire to bring equality to all city employees, Boston has recently become the first city in the state to require nondiscrimination based on gender identity in municipally-sponsored coverage.

The Boston City Council unanimously passed the ordinance last month, guaranteeing transgender city workers be fully included in city-sponsored health care coverage.

"This ordinance is about fairness and equity," said Councilor-at-Large Michelle Wu, who introduced the act with Councilor-at-Large Ayanna Pressley.

Not only will the ordinance ensure comprehensive healthcare coverage for all municipal employees, their dependents, regardless of gender identity or expression, will be covered as well, according to a council press release.

One area of initial concern was cost. However, other cities, including Seattle, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., providing this coverage did not report significant health cost increases, according to the council�s statement. In fact, at a hearing last month, Mayor Marty Walsh�s budget representatives agreed, saying they "did not anticipate any increase in cost for Boston either," said Wu.

The two councilors worked with Elevate Boston, a coalition of advocates, organizations, residents and community activists whose major goal is "to eliminate areas of health disparities" in the city, to push the act forward.

Pressley cofounded Elevate Boston during the Boston mayoral race to raise awareness of health equity, economic equity, and safe communities for all, according to a press release from the organization.

Pressley said both candidates, Walsh and then-Councilor-at-Large John Connolly, pledged to work for greater equality in all areas for Boston residents.

"It�s a matter of equity and access to health care," she said.

Before the ordinance passed, Wu said city employees could choose from six different health care plans, none of which included coverage for gender dysphoria (including hormone treatment and surgery).

After speaking with advocacy groups such as MassEquality, Wu said she learned there "were employees within City Hall who were struggling with this," including being saddled with many out-of-pocket costs.

On July 1, Wu said the Public Employees Committee, which is made up of unions that negotiate health care coverage as a group for all city employees, sent out a request for proposals for insurance companies with health care plans covering this requirement.

The councilors said overall reaction has been positive since advocates already laid much of the groundwork.

"As with any issue, we heard from people on both sides � (but) honestly, most of the feedback was positive," said Wu.

"I was very proud," she added, that the council passed it unanimously.

As for the future, she said she hopes other cities and towns in the state will be inspired by Boston�s example and pass similar measures.