For 10 years, Gender Justice League has been building, growing, training, and mobilizing trans & gender diverse communities to impact public and private decision makers in addressing the widespread disparities we face.
As part of this work, each year during the legislative session we compile an advocacy team made up of community members with strong lived and organizing experience in the area(s) we focus on. Our advocacy team this year is working hard to defend against attacks on gender-affirming care, and codify bills which protect our data, privacy, and right to live as our authentic selves.
The bills our team is mainly focusing on supporting this legislative session:
- My Health, My Data (HB 1155 / SB 5351): This bill limits outside states’ ability to find out who is getting an abortion in WA and use that data to prosecute people for violating their home state’s laws. It would also make it illegal to “geofence” abortion clinics and serve targeted anti-abortion and anti-gender affirming care ads.
- Keep Our Care Act (HB 1263 / SB 5241): Catholic hospital chains have bought up almost 80% of hospitals in WA and prevent both gender-affirming care and abortions in those hospitals. This bill gives the attorney general power over big hospital mergers, and would require these hospitals to provide this care.
- Provider Licensing Protections (HB 1340 / SB 5400): This bill protects the licenses of gender-affirming care & abortion providers in WA against attacks by other states who might try to prosecute or have their license revoked for performing care on an out-of-state resident. It would also protect providers whose licenses were revoked for providing gender-affirming care or abortion in another state, allowing them to practice in WA.
- Shield Law for Abortion & Gender-Affirming Care (HB 1469): This bill shields people who are seeking abortion or gender-affirming care in WA from any state funds or agencies participating in investigations in other states that might lead to prosecution. It makes it much harder for other states to investigate and prosecute people for getting care here, and prevents any funds from being used to arrest or extradite people to another state for criminal prosecution.
- Making Name Changes Private & Free (SB 5028): This bill allows anyone to file a name change petition in any district court in the state; it allows certain name change petitions to be filed in any superior court in the state; and allows juvenile courts to decide name change petitions of children who are in foster care or adopted. It also requires the superior court to seal a granted name change for a survivor of domestic violence, people changing their name for gender transition, or minors if they request it. The bill also allows qualified legal services providers to file fee waivers for clients.
Other bills we are keeping watch on (in support):
- Bias incident hotline (HB 1410 / SB 5427)
- Justice for victims of doxing (civil remedy for victims) (HB 1335 / SB 5321)
- Domestic extremism taskforce (HB 1333)
- Funding for safety net abortion providers and for underinsured & out-of-state patients (HB 1141 / SB 5188)
- Funding for security infrastructure for abortion providers (HB 1147 / SB 5188)
- WSCADV budget request to use state dollars to maintain our current level of services to survivors of gender-based violence, hate crimes, domestic violence, and sexual assault
We are also putting a lot of effort into opposing the Trans Youth Health Ban (HB 1214). This bill would ban any gender-affirming care for minors (under 18) in WA, and prevent mental health & medical providers from referring minors to care. This would immediately “de-transition” anyone under 18 in WA who is currently receiving care, and would outlaw any care going forward, making it a class C felony to provide or refer minors to gender-affirming care. Our team is currently mobilizing community members to contact Rep. Marcus Riccelli (D) and ask him not to hold a hearing in his committee for HB 1214.