(The Center Square) – As some states ban gender-affirming care, the Spokane City Council considered an ordinance on Monday to protect “LGBTQIA2S+ communities” and ensure access to related health care.
The proposal follows a swath of executive orders from President Donald Trump aimed at rolling back policies around protections for transgender individuals. Councilmember Paul Dillon said it came to fruition after several constituents emailed him with concerns following their transition.
He said it’s impossible to ignore the national context, as half the country has passed restrictions on access to gender-affirming care for minors. According to the proposal, those bans prevent “youth from accessing medically necessary, safe health care backed by decades of research.”
“This ordinance has been shared over the last several months with Spokane Pride, Odyssey Youth, Spectrum, WSU, [and] local healthcare providers,” Dillon said during Monday’s committee meeting, “and I really want to thank, too, our office intern Danielle [Groth].”
Groth started the project as a resolution, but Dillon said they found holes in the city code that elevated it to an ordinance. The proposal mirrors the Washington Law Against Discrimination, or WLAD, and the state Shield Law. Essentially, it prevents Spokane from using city resources to investigate someone for exercising their rights, which includes accessing gender-affirming care.
Other provisions include prohibiting the city from collecting information on sex assigned at birth, requiring it to regularly review policies to ensure they affirm “LGBTQIA2S+ individuals,” and requiring collaboration with that community and event organizers to ensure public safety.
According to the ordinance, LGBTQIA2S+ “means and includes Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual/Aromantic, Two Spirit people and any other term which refers to one’s gender identity or sexual orientation.”
Councilmember Zack Zappone questioned Dillon’s rollout of the ordinance as a cosponsor of the proposal. The two had planned to talk to stakeholders during a roundtable discussion before introducing it to a committee, but Dillon argued many in that group already knew about the idea.
“Seems like we might just be getting ahead of the greater conversation from the community,” Zappone said, adding that he also didn’t receive a copy of the ordinance until last Friday.
Dillon said he’s open to amendments and welcomed feedback from stakeholders and his peers, noting that the Spokane Human Rights Commission already suggested a few. Councilmember Jonathan Bingle asked if a draft was shared with law enforcement, which Dillon confirmed.
Another provision would require the Spokane Police Department to “maintain LGBTQIA2S+ liaison officers … to act as points of contact, advocate for community members, and build trust.”
“Getting that into code was really important, so I’m going to follow up with the chief,” Dillon said.
