It's called a borough, which is a small, self-governing town. It has its own laws, government, and regulations. Within the approximately 4.5-mile-long Borough of State College is Penn State University.
The population of State College is 40,501 according to the 2020 census, but the university lists a 2023 enrollment of 48,535.
Campus Reform reports the State College Borough Council voted unanimously in August to officially declare the borough a "safe haven" for transgender individuals.
The local Democratic Socialists of America chapter proposed the idea.
The area has also introduced many new healthcare-related policies to support this commitment to "gender-affirming healthcare."
Diane Gramley is president of the American Family Association of Pennsylvania.
She said Penn State led the borough several years ago into getting sexual orientation and gender identity ordinances. Now, this is another step.
The Borough, it appears, is ignoring the positions of most of its permanent residents.
“Actually, they're opening their borders, so to speak, of their borough, and it says so ‘to allow those who are living in less accommodating states to be able to come to live in State College Borough.’ Truthfully, the majority of those living in the Borough of State College, unless they're connected to Penn State, they don't agree with anything that the borough council is doing."
Gramley said she thinks these people believe they're doing what is right for these individuals who identify as transgender.
“But unfortunately, they're doing a great disservice to them in affirming their misunderstanding of their gender, affirming their gender crisis when they are questioning who they are, who they're born as, and who they should be in God's eyes."
It's not uncommon to find a university dominated by liberal-leaning thinkers in a small, conservative setting.
Such a large employer and community partner tends to dominate a local landscape. Conservatives may want to get out, Gramley says.
“I would encourage folks to flee State College borough, I mean, Penn State. It’s right in the middle of a conservative county, but its impact on not just the borough of State College, but the entire county, has been very negative when it comes to these left-leaning issues,” she said.
