Through the Static

By Hannah Saunders

To cap off the final day of Pride Month, Victoria Palmer, executive member of the King County Republican Party (KCGOP) said at the Seattle City Council meeting that the party will do what is within its power to dismantle the Trans and Queer Community Stabilization Interdepartmental Team (IDT). The IDT was created just last month in response to a Seattle LGBTQ Commission letter that encouraged city leaders to declare an internal Trans refugee crisis, and to allocate supports and resources for Trans and Queer people fleeing from hostile states to Seattle.

The letter highlighted nationwide legislative concerns and referenced a growing body of data that shows how discriminatory actions, conduct, and legislation have created hostile sociopolitical environments for Trans people. This sometimes forces Trans and Queer people to make major life-changing decisions, like relocating to what are considered safer cities, like Seattle.

In early June, the Seattle LGBTQ Commission issued a 32-page proposal for ways to immediately stabilize community needs and sustainably expand capacity, and improve the coordination and competency of the government, among others. To welcome an influx of Trans people, funds for housing, food and utilities, and healthcare are needed. Palmer said the KCGOP opposes the use of taxpayer dollars for this, and added how the internal Trans refugee crisis does not exist.

“It is ironic to claim there is a genocide on the Trans community when the truth is that the Trans movement is the genocide upon our people,” Palmer said. “It is unconscionable to persuade a child to damage or destroy the reproductive organs before they’ve even reached the age of consent. The Trans movement is a glamorized form of population control pushed by leftist ideology.”

Palmer falsely claimed that the republican party does not victimize Trans people, and that republicans can be a part of welcoming them as “equals under the law,” and “contributing members of society.” She called on the council to dismember the IDT, and if not, will keep bringing awareness to and fighting to do so.

KCGOP has previously propped-up anti-Trans ballot measures, including IL 26-001, which has the possibility to out Queer students, and IL 26-638, which would force Trans students to play on teams that don’t align with their gender identities. IL 26-638 would also require students in middle and high school female sports to prove their biological sex, including through an invasive medical exam. Both initiatives are heading to the November general election ballot after conservative political action committee, Let’s Go Washington, garnered enough signatures.

In addition to the Seattle LGBTQ Commission ringing the alarm bell, about 150 community members marched to Seattle City Hall in May to demand Mayor Katie Wilson issue a civil emergency, and she and the Office of Civil Rights instead created the IDT to craft a coordinated response to the Trans relocation emergency. The IDT held its first meeting on June 9, followed by its most recent meeting on June 23. Attendees for both included several city departments, the mayor’s office, the offices of Councilmembers Rinck, Hollingsworth, and Foster, and others. One thing the group discussed was how it is compiling information from across the city.

“The report back from team members was minimal with the majority of time spent in workgroup breakout conversations discussing what success looks like, potential connection points, and other considerations for each subject area,” the Seattle LGBTQ Commission stated.

The IDT expects about four to five more meetings, and the Seattle LGBTQ Commission will continue to provide the public with updates on its social media accounts and at its monthly commission meetings. The Office of Civil Rights will be drawing up final recommendations, sharing them for the IDT to analyse, and then submitting them within the next several months.

“On the Commission, we are also deeply aware of our responsibility to authentically represent community interests in these spaces and are seeking input from community members, leaders, organizations, businesses and other entities as we continue these conversations,” the Commission said.

An invite-only ‘community visioning session’ is taking place on July 12, and people are encouraged to reach out at info.seattlelgbtq@gmail.com. As the far-right continues its nationwide attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, specifically Trans people, Seattle’s Queers and activists remain undeterred from welcoming others to the city that has a high transplant population, in part, due to its welcoming and affirming nature.

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