City Chatter: Trans Day of Visibility and AI policy

🗓️ Advocate awarded: A Wayne County Prosecutor's Office employee dubbed a national voice for transgender justice received a Spirit of Detroit Award Tuesday in honor of Transgender Day of Visibility.

• City Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero got emotional as she presented the award to Julisa Abad and outlined Abad's achievements during council session.
• Santiago-Romero emphasized the need to support trans residents who "pay taxes and patronize our local businesses" amid recent anti-trans bills, rhetoric and violence across the U.S.

What they're saying: Council President James Tate and others thanked Santiago-Romero for surfacing an important topic.

• Tate said he "took a while to understand" trans identity, but strongly supports his transgender nephew and residents of all identities.
• "I say [thank you] on behalf of my nephew, who has had a very difficult time just trying to be himself, but it has been a journey for us all and I'm thankful to be where we are today … providing him with the support that he needs to thrive and grow in this world."

🤖 And in AI news: City Council Member Angela Whitfield-Calloway wants Detroit to develop a policy governing how it can and can't use AI.

• In a recent memo requesting it be drafted, Whitfield-Calloway wrote that the city "should avoid a fragmented patchwork policy" per department that would "impede oversight and cause confusion."