(Image: City of Seattle)

UPDATE: Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell was on Capitol Hill Monday to sign new “Welcoming City” legislation hoped to strengthen protections “from harmful federal actions, specifically for people seeking reproductive health care and gender-affirming treatment.”

CHS reported on the City Council’s approval of the new ordinance here earlier this month seeking to affirm the city as “a welcoming and supportive place for LGBTQ+ community members” while extending Washington State’s Shield Law’ “into city law,” and protecting “people seeking or providing reproductive or gender-affirming care in Seattle from arrest or prosecution.” The Shield Law prohibits Washington courts from enforcing out-of-state subpoenas seeking information related to protected health care services that are lawful in Washington, according to the State Attorney General’s office.

“Seattle is a city where diversity is celebrated, and the LGBTQ+ community is not just accepted, but embraced,” Harrell said in a statement. “The egregious attempts by the Trump administration to target, discriminate, and dehumanize LGBTQ+ people, particularly transgender individuals, and strip them of their rights goes directly against our city’s values. This legislation shows our commitment to a Seattle where everyone – regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation – can live openly and be treated with dignity and respect.”

“Our Center has been proudly serving our community, providing accessible healthcare and resources to our 2SLGBTQIA+ family amidst adversity, hatred, ignorance, and violence for 30 years,” said Nakita Venus, Executive Director of E Pine’s Seattle LGBTQ+ Center. “We have never been disillusioned about where we stand and who stands with us; it is within this reality that we find strength and resilience to fight back”

Seattle LGBTQ+ Center, formerly knowns as Gay City, moved into its new headquarters on E Pine in 2022.

Original report: Capitol Hill-based nonprofit the Gender Justice League is busy this International Transgender Day of Visibility providing information and planning for its 12th Trans Pride Seattle event this summer in Volunteer Park.

Monday’s Trans Day of Visibility comes as the nonprofit has been busy helping people in Seattle and beyond navigate and thrive through the threats presented by the second Trump administration. Especially urgent has been the Gender Justice League’s efforts to help people understand changes around passports for trans and non-binary travelers.

“Gender Justice League has received dozens of emails, calls, and social media outreach from Trans folks who have received passports in their sex assigned at birth, despite filing their applications for a new passport or passport renewal before the new policy was announced on January 20th, 2025,” the organization says.

It has provided a guide with “facts, practical advice, and what we anticipate may be happening going forward” to help people through the challenges.

The Capitol Hill nonprofit is also busy on the legal front, joining a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Trump administration’s ban on military service by Trans people. So far, courts have continued to block the ban.

CHS reported here in 2019 on the challenges and growth of the Gender Justice League. Six years later,  the group is planning its 12th Trans Pride Seattle celebration for June 27th at the Volunteer Park Amphitheater.

You can learn more about supporting the Gender Justice League and volunteering at genderjusticeleague.org.

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