The City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Tuesday hoped to strengthen Seattle as a “Welcoming City” and, officials say, a protective place for its 2SLGBTQIA+ — Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual — residents.
Council President Sara Nelson praised the legislation her office says will strengthen protections “from harmful federal actions, specifically for people seeking reproductive health care and gender-affirming treatment.”
“This legislation sends a clear message: Seattle is and will remain a safe harbor for communities under relentless attacks from the Trump Administration and its allies.” Nelson said in a statement. “Seattle has long-been a welcoming city, offering services and support to any one in need. This proposal will defend vulnerable people from anti-choice and anti-transgender policies that do not reflect our values or needs as a community.”
The ordinance passed Tuesday is hoped to affirm the city as “a welcoming and supportive place for LGBTQ+ community members, extends Washington State’s ‘Shield Law’ into city law,” and protect “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.
The new ordinance supports a suite of legislation put in place in Seattle following the decision overturning Roe v. Wade supporting reproductive rights and access to health care and including a bill that made encroaching on individuals seeking reproductive and gender-affirming care a misdemeanor offense.
Tuesday’s full council vote comes amid challenging times at Seattle City Hall as officials attempt to walk a fine line standing up for civil rights while also staying out of MAGA crosshairs.
CHS reported here on a proposed resolution that would acknowledge the failure of the so-called “defund movement” in a symbolic gesture Councilmember Rob Saka and Mayor Bruce Harrell say they hope “reiterates support for first responders, acknowledges failure of defund movement and embraces focus on underserved communities.”
That resolution is still with the council’s public safety committee.
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Virtue signaling while not actually helping or giving a rat’s ass about LGBQIA+ people. Sara Nelson and Bruce Harrell have probably had the worst tenures I’ve seen a city elected officials have.
2SLGBTQIA+
What does the “2SL” mean? I guess it’s the latest add-on to the original “LGB.” It’s getting complicated!
Nobody really knows. We just keep adding letters to include everyone but…. you know who. Note that some of the letters feel absolutely no affinity for the others.
If you actually gave a shit you’d do this. But facts, who needs em when you got hate and ignorance right?
2SLGBTQIA+ is an acronym that stands for Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and the “+” reflects the countless affirmative ways in which people choose to self-identify.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
We’re listening and learning
And why do we need to “protective place” for people who identify as one or more of these 8+ categories, instead of a protective place for anyone who resides in Seattle? Let’s be honest, there are places in the country where people from some of these groups might feel threatened in some way. It can be uncomfortable when you are different than everyone else. A straight white man in an all black neighborhood or a lesbian bar might feel this, for example. 2SLGBTQIA+ is so commonplace in Seattle that I seriously doubt that people who identify as such need a protective place any more than anyone else might need one, depending on circumstances. City Council needs to focus on doing real work on problems that they can actually affect.
My thing with the “identity” stuff.
If you are taking govt. money of any kind? No pronouns under your name please.
Why?
Because I can put a burning cross under mine right?
Somehow pronouns have become a tiny protest with every email. Nobody cares what you identify as.
Also the signatures at the end need to go. “Love where you live, live where you love” is simply platitudes we do not need. It’s business. Not aunt Mabel.
After that “Defund the Police didn’t work” thing I was afraid this would be a city council action officially denouncing the Seattle Freeze.
But no, it’s actually good news – we’ll want state level work as well but preemptively addressing overreach by the feds or other states is smart. And those laws are going to need to be airtight and well worded or we’ll end up litigating the edge cases for years to come.
How did council get so much worse than the last one
You’ve implied this twice in the same thread. Tell me, Jacob, what has/hasn’t this council done in your eyes that has you making this statement?
A start. We have the 4th largest unhoused population in the country that might beg to differ.
Oh, the city where a significant share of the demos actually is the least welcoming and resents newcomers like whoa, passed a little resolution saying the opposite?
i see someone didn’t read the ordinance, the article, OR the comments.
I prefer more accurate nomenclature.
Protect from Trump??? Good luck with that. Seattle can’t even handle its soda zones. 2 unsolved murders alone on the hill, and rents are sky high. All this says is, “if you can afford to live in Seattle we won’t trip, until state law is altered.”
this isn’t a police or housing issue, imagine if I told you the city council was capping rent increases, and you said “yeah but what are they doing about federal overreach on reproductive health? and they can’t even catch murderers!” that’s what you’re doing here, it’s not helpful and it doesn’t really even make any sense. you just sound like a bitter, unpleasant person complaining about whatever comes to mind.
Literally no one in the LGBTQ+ community was asking for this. It means nothing. Get some real work done.
Thank you for saying that, because it’s true
Isn’t the real risk to us on green cards, H1 visa and other non resident visa? What is Seattle doing for us. Doesn’t Tacoma have a large ICE dentition facility ?
Well at least you’ll have nice teeth!