Less than one month into 2025, almost 200 bills have been filed across the country reducing the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA) community, including in Washington state.
In Federal Way, local efforts are advocating for safe spaces.
A supportive learning environment is the goal of the LGBTQIA Task Force at Highline College, a group that held an informational session Jan. 15 at the The Hub: Federal Way Higher Education Center, Highline’s satelite campus.
It is also the focus of a package of bills filed by state Sen. Claire Wilson (D-Federal Way) on Jan. 8 aimed at “increasing comprehensive student civil rights protections and accountability measures for districts intentionally violating Washington state law,” according to a press release.
“Everyone deserves a safe space to be themselves. For many, school is that space. Amid a national mental health crisis and a tragic increase in youth homelessness — both contributing to a growing demand in services — it’s time to rise to the occasion and enact protective, proactive legislation that ensures student success,” Wilson said in a press release. “We must also protect teachers from retaliation for doing the jobs we have entrusted them do — teaching curriculum reflective and inclusive of the world around us and providing that safe space necessary for students to flourish.”
The bills include: Senate Bill (SB) 5179 which would direct the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to deal with school districts that intentionally violate state law around issues of civil rights. SB 5180 focuses on protections for students right to a safe, civil and respectful learning community including a gender inclusive environment.
SB 5181 aligns a bill passed in 2024 about parental rights with state law.
“The bill preserves the core of the parental rights bill passed late in the 2024 legislative session while adjusting key provisions in order to eliminate ambiguity and overly broad terminology to aide districts with implementation,” according to a press release.
While the Seattle area has a long history of LGBTQIA people and activism, today this does not guarantee safety from violence, even for youth.
Recent assaults in Bremerton and Bellingham in October 2024 highlight this danger, including an incident where eight students shoved, kicked, punched and yelled derogatory remarks at a minor for being transgender.
Finding supportive community can impact young people who are part of the LGBTQIA community in many positive ways, as people shared at the meeting of the task force at The Hub: Federal Way Higher Education Center.
“Seeing how many people are just like me…I found a place where I belong,” one student said. She is a student in one of Highline’s High School Re-Engagement Programs and said that finding the Queers and Allies club helped motivate her to get back into school.
Chino Gonzales is a member of the Task Force and said as a queer youth growing up in Des Moines, the lack of community put him in harm’s way. This led to “putting myself in risky situations to find intimacy,” at a young age, Gonzales shared, adding that he wasn’t out until senior year.
“We need more youth programming,” Gonzales said. “It’s hard to benefit from a college’s resources when you don’t feel like you belong.”
Having spaces like the Q Center are important to help queer youth be able to “imagine your future,” Gonzales said. “It’s hard to imagine a better future,” without seeing that other people that are similar to you have found that themselves.
The Q Center opened last year and is a “safe space for LGBTQIA+ students, staff and faculty to promote equity, inclusion and belonging.” It also features an affirming closet and supportive books.
The Queers and Allies Club (Q&A Club) focuses on creating a more equitable community at Highline College.
At the Task Force meeting, students and faculty shared their personal experiences and discussed upcoming events.
The Pink Prom will be coming up in April and the materials at the event describe it as a “free and safe space for students to dance, eat and watch a drag show.” A Lavender Graduation is scheduled for June, which will focus on celebrating LGBTQIA+ students and their allies for their achievements and contributions.
The Task Force is also working on developing Safe Zones Training, “an educational program designed to raise awareness and understanding about LGBTQ+ identities, terminology and experiences.”
The Task Force and the bills filed by Wilson exist in an increasingly hostile legislative environment toward people who are LGBTQIA. In 2024, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) tracked 533 anti-LGBTQ bills in the U.S.
A measure was also proposed by Republian legislators in Idaho on Jan. 7 to urge the U.S. Supreme Court to remove marriage rights for same-sex couples by reconsidering Obergefell v. Hodges.
Other local resources for the LGBTQIA community in Federal Way include Open Doors Sharing Closet at Wayside United Church of Christ and the Federal Way LGBTQ+ Youth Group that is held in partnership with Lambert House at the Federal Way 320th Library.