Lavender Rights Project (LRP) and POCAAN join the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, QLaw, Legal Voice and many others in filing a lawsuit against Washington State for the incredibly harmful Initiative 2081, “Parents Bill of Rights.” LRP and POCAAN understand this law to be the result of out-of-state extremists working with organizations such as Let’s Go Washington, to interfere with Washington State's priority for a society that lifts the power of its Transgender citizens. 

LRP’s Executive Director Jaelynn Scott had the following statement:

“This initiative is not only an attack on Trans youth and youth of color, but runs an incalculable risk of impacting these vulnerable populations well into adulthood. Many of the LGBTQ individuals that we serve have experienced bullying, abuse, violence, isolation, and homelessness in their youth. We believe that our youth deserve access to trusted, loving adults who affirm them.”

Steven Sawyer, Executive Director of POCAAN had the following statement:

“We are concerned about the restrictions put on teachers and schools who are supportive of Trans youth, and subsequently, we are concerned about the proliferating anti-critical race theory and anti-DEI efforts across the country and the ways this exacerbates violence against trans people and People of Color more broadly.”

Our goal is to stop legislation that creates hardship for young people and adults. Along with this initiative, these same extremist groups were responsible for pushing Initiative 2113 which sought to increase mechanisms of policing, rolling back protections for Black communities promised after the murder of George Floyd; as we know, concerns of Black communities  are concerns for Trans communities. LRP and POCAAN call on our local communities to rise up, resist, and to take action through contacting your state representatives and holding them accountable. Additionally, we encourage our community to thoroughly research people collecting signatures for citizen initiatives. Often we are baited in with seemingly harmless measures, such as “lower gas tax,” but are then encouraged to sign for a number of harmful measures that negatively impact vulnerable populations. Additionally, we must familiarize ourselves with the dangers of organizations such as  Let’s Go Washington, who are backed by wealthy conservatives utilizing their power and money to enact harmful legislation. Together, we have the ability to build trans political power with our own 501C4’s and Political Action Committees. We must redistribute funding to Trans-led organizations in order to protect those that remain and are constantly under threat of losing access to funding due to shifting cultural consciousness and opinions. LRP and POCAAN will continue to be at the table with community organizations, lawmakers, and fundraisers to collectively resist neo-fascists intent on impeding on the livelihood of Trans people and communities of color.