The transgender community has made tremendous strides in recent years, but ignorance and fear remain significant barriers. Equal Rights Washington believes it is important to educate lawmakers, the public, and our own community to ensure equal protection and equal access for transgender individuals.

Equal Rights Washington Supports United Approach Towards Transgender Equality!

Read ERW's position on transgender inclusion and ENDA here.

What ERW has done in support of transgender equality in the last 12 months.

In December of 2006, ERW mobilized 968 advocates to submit comment to retain Medicaid coverage for sex reassignment surgery in Washington State. During the 2007 State legislative session, ERW worked with coalition partners to pass a law blocking the implementation of the Real ID Act in Washington State. Since May, ERW has directly engaged over 4,075 individuals in grassroots lobbying of federally elected officials in support of ENDA and the Matthew Shepard Act. Together these individuals have generated over 16,300 e-mails calling for the passage of the Matthew Shepard Act and ENDA. Included in these numbers are specific campaigns to encourage legislators to sign on as co-sponsors of ENDA. A Labor Day letter to the editor campaign in support of ENDA resulted in at least 28 letters to the editor being sent to Washington papers. Equal Rights Washington joined with over 100 other organizations demanding that only a version of ENDA inclusive of gender identity be moved out of committee.

At meetings and presentations across Washington State, ERW discusses the importance of passing the Matthew Shepard Act and ENDA that are gender identity inclusive. Equal rights Washington participates in a number of coalitions and keeps these coalitions informed about what they can do to help pass these laws. We housed a staff person from HRC for two weeks while she worked to firm up votes on ENDA and we helped facilitate constituent meetings. ERW worked with the Equality Federation to provide LGBT organizations in other states action alerts they could send to their members in support of the Matthew Shepard Act and ENDA. ERW is in active participant in UnitedEnda.org.

Transgender Rights & Marriage

We've received many questions about the rights of transgender people to marry in the state of Washington. Unfortunately, it's not a simple issue! We'd like to thank The Northwest Women's Law Center for providing this briefing paper on the subject. It is not legal advice, but we hope it can serve to answer some of your questions.

View the Marriage and Transgender Couples guide (.pdf).

The Anti-Discrimination Law, which adds the term "sexual orientation" to the state's nondiscrimination law, includes gender identity in the definition of sexual orientation. Passage of this law now prevents employers, landlords, and lenders from discrimination against transgender people.

Below is our 2007 Legislative Agenda for Transgender issues:

Transgender Equality

We Support:

• Fair Implementation of the Real ID Act – Equal Rights Washington will work to ensure that Washington’s implementation of the Federal Real ID Act will not adversely impact transgender people, LGBT foreign nationals or LGBT naturalized citizens.

• Hate Crimes Inclusion – Work to expand the federal definition of hate crimes to include gender identity. (Federal) 

• Employment Nondiscrimination Act – Support efforts to prohibit discrimination in employment on the basis of gender identity. (Federal)

• Healthcare – Equal Rights Washington will work to ensure that transgender people have access to medically necessary healthcare, including sex reassignment surgery and hormones.