Hundreds gather at the Capitol in support of, and in opposition to, transgender rights bill
Hundreds of people gathered at the Washington State Capitol on Friday, separating themselves into two groups with very different messages.
One group gathered on the Temple of Justice steps were there to support transgender rights while just across the campus on the steps of the Legislative Building, some were there to oppose Senate Bill 5599, a bill that supports youth seeking gender-affirming or reproductive care.
The bill passed the Senate on Wednesday after concurring with some amendments made by the House.
Carolyn Prouty, an organizer for the rally to support transgender rights, told McClatchy she was there because, as a professor at The Evergreen State College, she has many students who identify with the LGBTQIA+ community.
“It’s my honor to be in the position of teaching them,” she said. “And I see the challenges that they have, people of all ages. I want to stand in solidarity with them.”
Several Democratic lawmakers — including the prime sponsor of SB 5599, Sen. Marko Liias, D-Mukilteo — also attended the rally.
Former Republican congressional candidate Joe Kent made an appearance at the rally against SB 5599.
Kent said he has concerns about the bill because he thinks it allows the government to separate kids from their parents.
“I think that’s a major issue regardless of what the reason is, but in particular for something that can be life-altering, like getting gender reassignment surgery, or getting pharmaceuticals,” Kent told McClatchy.
But the bill language does not separate children or youth from their families, as some have claimed.
As the law is currently written, runaway youth must be reported to their parents by a shelter within 72 hours unless a compelling reason such as abuse or neglect exists not to do so. The Department of Children, Youth and Families must intervene if a compelling reason exists and find placement for the youth.
Under SB 5599, which still needs to be signed by the governor to become law, shelters would still have the requirement to contact parents unless a compelling reason exists, and seeking or receiving protected health care services would be included as compelling reasons.
If the runaway youth is being served by the shelter without permission from their parents, DCYF is obligated to offer to make referrals for appropriate behavioral health treatment and DCYF must try to accomplish reunification of the family by offering services that are designed to resolve conflict among the family members.
Licensed host homes do not need to contact parents of runaway youth if a compelling reason exists, but they still must report runaway youth to DCYF within 72 hours. DCYF must then make contact with families to attempt to resolve the conflict with the ultimate goal being reunification. If youth and families aren’t reunified, DCYF must provide case management for the youth outside of their host homes.
Gender-altering surgery is also not common and not likely to be recommended by most doctors for patients under the age of 18, according to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, a professional and educational organization, and the Endocrine Society, which represents specialists who treat hormone conditions.
If Gov. Jay Inslee signs the bill, it will go into effect 90 days after the adjournment of the legislative session.
