Seattle LGBTQ Commission

08/13/2026

We are grateful to Seattle City Council for their unanimous vote in support of our community in this time of crisis.

08/13/2026

07/29/2026

Reliable data helps people better understand their communities. Our estimates of the transgender population informed Washington state's recognition of International Transgender Day of Visibility.
See more impact at tinyurl.com/Williams-Impact

07/28/2026

"If this were occurring abroad, to an ethnic minority, we would call it ethnic cleansing....

"Where are they going? To cities in blue states, with strong blue-state protections for trans civil rights and gender identity protections, and environments that are less hostile. They are particularly attracted to cities with relatively low costs of living like Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, Portland, and Seattle. And this is no accident. Trans people are disproportionately impoverished—34% in poverty, 18% unemployed, 30% having experienced homelessness at some point in their life. Ask trans people who have moved or want to move what factors matter in the decision and 93% cite affordability and economic factors—statistically indistinguishable from the 92% who cite a state's legal protections. Among those who want to leave and haven't, 82% cite cost of relocation as the barrier, 56% employment, 49% housing."

If this were occurring abroad, to an ethnic minority, we would call it ethnic cleansing.

07/26/2026

Our latest IDT Update is live & has many important updates, including budget, an update from the Mayor's Office and an action alert from the commission.

tldr;
❌ The Mayor's Office is NOT declaring an emergency and did not allocate any funding from their supplemental budget for this crisis.
👎 The commission is deeply disappointed at the IDT's lack of community engagement.
💕 There has been progress in the individual work groups, and we expect the IDT to extend past August.
📣 We are encouraging folks to show up on 8/4 and 8/11 (pending vote on 8/4) to tell City Council to support an amendment to fund trans and q***r community stabilization!

07/23/2026

07/13/2026

From :

Summary of updates: Idaho has moved into the highest risk level on this map, “Do Not Travel.” This is not an move ever taken lightly. However, with the passage of Idaho’s felony bathroom ban with up to 5 year prison sentences, the state firmly belongs in this category. Though a lawsuit has partially blocked the law, the law remains in effect anywhere a gender neutral or family restroom exists, meaning transgender people must search for a gender-neutral restroom or else they might risk a felony in Idaho. In South Carolina, the bathroom ban there has been expanded to colleges and universities, raising the risk level in the state.

https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/anti-trans-national-legal-risk-assessment-bb2

07/11/2026

Reliable research can provide context for legal and policy debates. This year, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor cited our estimates of the transgender population during oral arguments in the transgender sports cases.
See more impact at tinyurl.com/Williams-Impact

07/11/2026

Our Visiting Scholar, Abbie Goldberg, spoke with WABE News about how shifting legal and policy landscapes are impacting relocation among LGBTQ people in the U.S.
WABE News: https://tinyurl.com/4r6be377

07/11/2026

At this week's IDT meeting we heard more about upcoming timelines, saw the first draft recommendations, and spent time discussing what's missing. We're hoping for a more thorough & rigorous process as we continue to move forward and are looking to hearing directly from community at this weekend's visioning session!

Thank you for reading our updates -- we've been blown away by community support for this effort and are counting on you to help us keep the pressure on!