Our History & Impact
2023
- GJL shifted to expand nationally, offering technical assistance and leadership development support to trans-led organizations across the U.S., including in states such as Idaho, Arkansas, Montana, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Oregon, Alaska, and Arizona.
- Worked in coalition to support the relocation of trans & gender diverse people in states banning gender-affirming care and fleeing other anti-trans policies.
- Hosted first Trans Advocacy Day, bringing 80+ people to the state capitol to advocate with legislators for gender-affirming and reproductive care, data privacy, and more.
- Hosted The State of Trans Legislation: A Virtual Town Hall.
- Trained 22 local trans activists to carry out two advocacy/lobby days which mobilized 104 people to lobby legislators in-person at the state capitol.
- Mobilized 300+ community members to submit comments and contact legislators to defend gender-affirming and reproductive care across WA State.
- Hosted the 10th anniversary of Trans Pride Seattle in Volunteer Park, welcoming 50,000+ attendees, and enjoying speeches and performances on stage by headliners Rep. Zooey Zephyr, Sen. Marko Liias, Stella Keating, Angel Bonilla, The House of Ada, and T4T: Seattle’s Longest Running All Trans & Nonbinary Drag Show. (Livestream recording here).
- SafeHouse rebrands into Community Security Program! [CSP support given TBD]
2022
- Leadership transition: Elayne Wylie departs as Executive Director, and Danni Askini returns as Executive Director.
- Hosted our first in-person Trans Pride Seattle since pre-COVID (2019) in a new location at Volunteer Park, welcoming 10,000+ attendees.
- SafeHouse shelters 107 trans & gender diverse people, and gives over $32,000 in financial assistance to trans & gender diverse survivors.
- Supported 10 incarcerated trans & gender diverse people across WA access basic needs supplies and support navigating legal systems, re-entry, and transitioning while incarcerated.
- Supported the relocation of 5 trans & gender diverse people fleeing anti-trans laws in their home state, helping them access reproductive and gender-affirming care.
- Co-organized hybrid Trans Day of Remembrance events in Seattle & Tacoma alongside DAPS and other community partners, providing space to grieve and be together immediately following the tragedy in Colorado Springs.
- Advocated for city funding to support survivors in the City of Seattle budget for culturally-specific service providers serving marginalized gender-based violence survivors, ultimately securing over $1 million from City of Seattle and King County in funding across all GBV organizations.
- Endorsed the Trans Bill of Rights, a first-of-it’s-kind bill stating protections for trans and nonbinary people, introduced by Rep. Jayapal and others.
2021
GJL staff meet in-person for the first time since the COVID pandemic (2021).
GJL staff engage in a staff retreat to plan upcoming work (2021). Photo by Danni Askini.
- Leadership transition: Tobi Hill-Meyer departs as Co-Executive Director, and Elayne Wylie becomes sole Executive Director.
- SafeHouse expands into the Olympic Peninsula, offering services to trans & gender diverse people in Mason, Thurston, Clallam, Jefferson, Grays Harbor, and Pacific Counties, in addition to King County.
- SafeHouse shelters 34 trans & gender diverse people, and gives $43,000 in financial assistance microgrants to trans & gender diverse people across Washington State.
- Expanded our advocacy work by hiring a staff member dedicated to supporting incarcerated trans & gender diverse people in WA State.
- Produced 4 short videos on navigating the COVID-19 crisis as trans people, covering topics including vaccines, masking and social distancing, self-care, and asking for help.
- Hosted 2 live Q&A sessions with healthcare and mental healthcare providers on topics related to COVID-19 relevant to trans communities.
- Produced a two-part workshop/discussion with Malcolm Shenks on decolonizing gender, alongside Traction, WA Black Trans Task Force, and UTOPIA WA.
2020
- Hosted a virtual Trans Pride Seattle, an online performance and workshop extravaganza for transgender, Two Spirit, nonbinary, and gender diverse people.
- The Gender Justice Awards virtually honored award winners Katherine Blake, Sherae Lascelles, Mattie Mooney, Lavender Rights Project’s WA Black Trans Task Force, Pizza Klatch, Randy Ford, Ve’ondre Mitchell, Mercy Kariuki-McGee, and Scarlett D’Giacomo.
- SafeHouse shelters 26 trans & gender diverse people, and gives $20,000 in financial assistance microgrants to local trans & gender diverse people.
- Helped pass the Nikki Kuhnhausen Act, a bill outlawing the use of the “trans panic” defense in criminal trials, working closely with Justice 4 Nikki, the Washington State Legislature, and other community leaders.
- In collaboration with the City of Olympia, passed a resolution protecting trans and nonbinary BIPOC and established a seat for our community in the city’s social justice work moving forward.
- Co-hosted a second town hall for trans women and femmes, bringing together community members in Thurston County to talk about real-life issues and collectively organize for each other.
- Delivered food and toiletries to 60+ trans and non-binary families in Thurston County during the first wave of COVID-19 (April to July).
- In collaboration with leaders like Mattie Mooney and Catherine West, helped to pass The Gender Affirming Treatment Act, a first in the country transition related health Insurance law that bans so-called “cosmetic” exclusions for medically necessary gender-affirming procedures that are prescribed by a physician.
Official poster for Trans Pride Seattle 2020.
- Successfully advocated for police accountability bills HB1054, SHB1310, SB5051, and HB1267: prohibiting police from using life-threatening tactics; banning police from acquiring specific military equipment; establishing guidelines for the use of tear gas; setting a civil standard for peace officers, prioritizing de-escalation; strengthening community oversight of police activity; and creating an independent office of investigations to conduct competent investigations in police use of force incidents.
- Successfully advocated for SB1070—which permits King County to use a 1% tax revenue increase towards purchasing buildings for housing programs—and began advocating alongside WA Black Trans Task Force for the Department of Commerce to allocate a portion of this funding to trans-specific housing, prioritizing Black trans communities (eventually leading to Lavender Rights Project’s The House: a 35-unit building of permanent supportive housing for QT2BIPOC).
- GJL makes a formal commitment to anti-racism and sets in motion an expansive anti-racism action plan to infuse and prioritize anti-racism throughout the organization and programming, including but not limited to allotting at least 50% of financial assistance microgrant dollars and resources for trans & gender diverse BIPOC.
- Produced a conversation on organizing as Indigenous & Trans, Two Spirit people, alongside Candi Brings Plenty and Stephanie Byers.
- Hosted a panel discussion on parenting trans kids.
2019
- Leadership addition: Tobi Hill-Meyer becomes co-Executive Director, alongside Elayne Wylie.
- Worked in coalition to achieve ‘X’ option on Washington State drivers licenses.
- Successfully advocated for Washington State to adopt non-binary gender marker options for birth certificates.
- Responded to a TERF event at the Seattle Public Library by helping coordinate a rally and march at city hall.
- Trans Pride Seattle welcomes 25,000 participants to march and celebrate at Cal Anderson Park.
- The Gender Justice Awards honors award winners Nicole Macri, Joey Pickering, Jono Vaughan, Isyss Honnen, Luna Crone, Sarah Abshire, and Dwayne Linde. Emcee’d by Ebo Barton, with special guests Justice Mary Yu, DJ Martinez, and Duke.
- SafeHouse shelters 18 trans & gender diverse people, and gives $20,000 in financial assistance microgrants to local trans & gender diverse people.
2018
- Leadership transition: Danni Askini departs as Executive Director, and Elayne Wylie becomes interim Executive Director.
- SafeHouse program is born, shelters 4 chronically homeless trans people, and gives $10,000 in financial assistance microgrants to local trans people.
- Trans Pride Seattle welcomes 15,000 participants to march and celebrate at Cal Anderson Park.
- The Gender Justice Awards honors award winners Poni Colina, Lonness Valenna, The Most Dangerous Year, Stella Keating, Tristan Cook, Danni Askini, and Ginger Chien. Emcee’d by Mac McGregor.
2017
- Trans Pride Seattle welcomes 10,000 participants to march and celebrate at Cal Anderson Park.
- The Gender Justice Awards honors award winners Nikkita Oliver, Ebo Barton, Neve Mazique, Scarlet D’Giacomo, Simone Dawson, Modessa Jacobs, Skyler Ting, Garfield Hillson, Monserrat Padilla, Taffy Mae, Ijeoma Oluo, Tai Jordan, Q Center, and Frances Lee. Emcee’d by El Sanchez, with special guests J Mase III and Oti Onum.
- GJL sues the Trump Administration over the trans military ban.
- ‘Say My Name’ name and gender marker clinics helped hundreds of people and gave tens of thousands of dollars to help community members with name and gender marker changes.
- Worked in coalition to defeat WA State anti-trans bathroom ban (I-1552).
2016
- Trans Pride Seattle welcomes 8,000 participants to march and celebrate at Cal Anderson Park.
- Worked in coalition to defeat initiative-1515, a campaign to restrict bathroom and locker-room access for transgender people; and Senate Bill 6443, a bill intended to roll back protections for transgender people.
- The Gender Justice Awards honored award winners Ryannah Quigley, Seth Kirby, Laurie Jinkins, Jade Vogelsang, The Lady B, Hiram Calf Looking, Sydney Brownstone, Jeremiah Allen, Marci Owens (Seneca Rose), Micha Cardenas, and Monisha Harrell.
- Created ‘Say My Name’ name and gender marker clinics, which helped hundreds of people by giving tens of thousands of dollars to help community members with name and gender marker changes.
- Worked in coalition to co-found Washington Won’t Discriminate, successfully defeating six anti-trans bathroom/facilities bills, including I-1515.
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2015
- Trans Pride Seattle welcomes 5,000 participants to march and celebrate at Cal Anderson Park.
- The Gender Justice Awards are born. Hosted at the Melrose Market Studios, award winners Selam Abunu, Vanessa Grandberry, SWOP, Kshama Sawant, Kiyomi Fujikawa, Alison Davison / Sid Jordan, Finn Cottom, U.T.O.P.I.A., and Ro Yoon were honored.
- GJL hires first staff member.
2014
- Trans Pride Seattle welcomes 4,000 participants to march and celebrate at Cal Anderson Park.
- Successfully advocated for comprehensive transgender healthcare from Washington State’s Applecare (2014-2020).
- Successfully advocated for Public Employee Benefits Board to cover gender-affirming care in their healthcare plans.
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2013
- Trans Pride Seattle is born, welcoming 3,000 participants to Cal Anderson park.
- Created the Coalition for Inclusive Healthcare alongside 40+ local and national partners to expand all public and private health insurance coverage in Washington State to cover trans-related care.
- Advocated for an increase in HIV prevention funding and helped launch the “We-Are-1” public education campaign for HIV Testing, PrEP, and treatment services.
- Helped pass the PrEP Drug Assistance Program—the first in the nation—to ensure all people could have access to HIV Prevention Medication.
2012
- GJL is founded by a group of long-time trans, queer, and allied activists looking to increase the community’s capacity to address cissexism, transphobia, transmisogyny, and the homo, bi, and queer phobias that trans and gender diverse people face.
- Advocated with the City of Seattle, King County, and WA State around HIV prevention, healthcare, and housing/homelessness.
- Worked in coalition to win a referendum on the ballot for same-sex marriage (referendum 74) and ultimately secure same-sex marriage in WA State (three years before becoming federally recognized).
