Honoring humanity creates an equitable and just society.
About
The Washington State Office of Equity champions equity and justice for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Two-spirit and Gender non-conforming (LGBTQ+) people and celebrates the rich Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Two-spirit and Gender non-conforming heritage that has shaped the state’s history and is instrumental to its future success.
We work to ensure that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Two-spirit and Gender non-conforming individuals have equitable access to the opportunities, power, and resources they need to succeed and are welcomed, supported, and feel a sense of belonging when working in or seeking assistance from state agencies. We count on the commitment, partnership, and support of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Two-spirit and Gender non-conforming communities and leaders – across the state, inside and outside of state government, - in this important work of dismantling the historic, systemic, power dynamics that oppress Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Two-spirit and Gender non-conforming individuals, while building new systems and safeguards that advance representation and ensure that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Two-spirit and Gender non-conforming individuals have access to participation in all aspects of society (such as, government, business, education) until each and every Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex individual in the state flourishes and achieves their full potential.
Historically, LGBTQ+ people have faced discrimination, violence, pressure to conform/remain closeted, being criminalized and pathologized, and socioeconomic hardships including barriers to legal protections for familial relationships, legal recognition of gender identity and the ability to be safe and authentic in public, at work and at home. Recent decades and years have seen growing understanding in the United States of what it means to be Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Two-spirit and Gender non-conforming and the dismantling of systems, laws and culture that stigmatize, punish and exclude people in the LGBTQ+ community. Examples include the American Psychiatric Association’s removal of homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual in 1973; the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2003 ruling in Lawrence v. Texas on the unconstitutionality of anti-sodomy laws; the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” in 2011; and the 2013 and 2015 U.S. Supreme Court rulings on marriage equality, United States v. Windsor and Obergefell v. Hodges.
Washington state is a national leader in laws and policies that protect Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Two-spirit and Gender non-conforming adults and youth from discrimination, bullying, hate crimes, conversion practices and barriers to quality health care, insurance, legal recognition of gender identity and protections for familial (see WA State LGBTQ Commission Equality Profile and Human Rights Campaign Scorecard).
Equity issues of concern to the LGBTQ+ community include:
- Access to employment, education, housing, health care, supports for disabilities, aging and long-term care, community support and a safe home environment.
- Availability of basic protections, health care, community, and social supports, particularly in rural areas. Social systems and institutions that are responsive to the needs and concerns of the LGBTQ+ community. This includes equity in income/economic well-being, safety, employment, housing, public accommodations, education, health/health care, aging and long-term care, sense of community and community support.
You have to go the way your blood beats. If you don’t live the only life you have, you won’t live some other life, you won’t live any life at all. James Baldwin