January 24, 2022 Newsletter

News from the WA State LGBTQ Commission

The Washington State LGBTQ Commission extends it gratitude to Commissioner Dr. Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen (Island County), who was part of the first class of LGBTQ Commissioners appointed by Governor Jay Inslee in 2020. Commissioner Fredriksen-Goldsen is stepping down from her role as Commissioner in February 2022 as she enters a sabbatical year from her faculty and researcher position with the University of Washington – Seattle Campus. Dr. Fredriksen-Goldsen is cofounder of GenPride Seattle, an organization that provides resources and opportunities to LGBTQ seniors. She is also co-founder and a co-principal researcher with the Goldsen Institute at the University of Washington, doing innovative research in health, longevity, culture, sexuality, and gender. The LGBTQ Commission wishes Dr. Fredriksen-Goldsen all the best in her sabbatical year and looks forward to continuing collaborating with her as a researcher of issues that directly impact our older LGBTQ community members. Dr. Fredriksen-Goldsen is latest of four Commissioners appointed by Governor Inslee to serve on the inaugural class of the LGBTQ Commission who have moved on to other projects after faithful service representing their constituents. The other past Commissioners from the inaugural class are Maeve Griffith from Spokane County, Beto Yarce from Snohomish County, and Jeffrey Robinson from Franklin County. If you are interested in applying to this or any other government board or commission, feel free to visit the Governor’s Office of Boards and Commissions through this link for more information and to fill out an application.

Opportunities for the Community

Notice of Rulemaking – Hospitals Reporting on Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Information

Project background

Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill (E2SHB) 1272 passed the Legislature in 2021 and requires the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) to do rulemaking. We are considering revisions to Chapter 246-455 WAC, the rule that outlines hospital reporting requirements for patient discharge information (CHARS).

Among other changes, the rule may set new standards for reporting patient information related to race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, preferred language, any disability, and zip code. The specific reporting categories for each component are open for revision.

CHARS data are used to identify and analyze hospitalization trends; compare hospital stays across all reporting hospitals; and quantify health care access, quality, and cost. 

We understand that the pandemic may have placed additional demands on your time and energy, and we are grateful to you for your assistance during this busy time. If you are unable to attend a listening session, you can provide written feedback to Katitza Holthaus at katitza.holthaus@doh.wa.gov by close of business on February 4, 2022.

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEud-uopzIqHdcfKA7W2c__g_m15kbrFoBX  

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Department of Health Youth Advisory Council

 Youth Advisory Council (compensated) 

DOH’s Adolescent and Young Adult Health team is seeking Washingtonians ages 13-21 to apply to be a member of a new Youth Advisory Council. The council is a community engagement group comprised of young people to discuss thoughts, opinions, and ideas about public health topics relevant to adolescents and young adults and make recommendations to Department of Health staff on adolescent and young adult public health programming. See flyer and additional details in English and Spanish  

Community Survey: Establishing a new Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI), HIV, and viral hepatitis planning group

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is working to form a new community planning group that will focus on a combined integrated syndemic response to Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), HIV, and viral hepatitis. The shift from epidemic (focus on single disease) to syndemic (focus on two or more diseases) allows for greater insight and response to all these health conditions rather than focusing on them separately. To ensure greater participation of a diverse group of community members in the new planning group, we are seeking your input. DOH is partnering with HMA Community Strategies to conduct this survey. HMA will use survey responses to make recommendations on the planning group structure. This survey will help DOH understand how to make sure community voices are included in the new planning group. We are especially interested in hearing from people with lived experience related to STIs, HIV, and viral hepatitis. Community Survey: https://healthmanagement.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0p4ufKhNNW31j0y This survey closes at 5PM on Friday, February 4th.  This survey will take about 15 - 20 minutes to complete.  This is an anonymous survey. Your identity will not be linked to your responses.  All questions are optional. If you complete the survey a $15 electronic Amazon gift card. Details are provided at the end of the survey.  Individual survey responses will not be shared with DOH, and any quotes from the comment sections will remain completely anonymous. We are using Qualtrics to conduct the survey. Please see their privacy policy for information on how they store and protect data at: https://www.qualtrics.com/privacy-statement/  If you have questions about this survey and how data will be used, please contact Charles Robbins at crobbins@healthmanagement.com or call (213) 314-9101.

Governor Inslee updates decades-old affirmative action guidance for more equity in hiring, education and contracting

Gov. Jay Inslee on January 17^th signed an executive order that rescinds Directive 98-01, a 23-year-old document that was supposed to provide agencies with instructions on how to implement Initiative 200 (I-200) on affirmative action.

The governor announced earlier this month his intention to rescind the outdated directive and this replacement executive order that will instruct agencies on how to move forward with achieving equity while still complying with I-200. The executive order provides agencies with new instructions, which marks our commitment to the work to identify, document, and eradicate discrimination and disparities in all forms, for the benefit of all Washingtonians. You can read the full story here and access the signed executive order here.

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Specialized Support for Washington LGBTQ Veterans

YOUR Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs offers support to ALL veterans in the state, and that includes having an equity lens where the specific needs of LGBTQ veterans are addressed. Robin Lang (she/her/hers) is the recently appointed LGBTQ+ Veterans Outreach Coordinator with the DVA. Robin's role is to help LGBTQ veterans in the state navigate all the resources that exist to help and empower them after their service to the nation.

Meet Robin and learn more about her work through this short video from the DVA.

If you are an LGBTQ veteran living in Washington, you can trust that our agencies will be there for you!

Say It Out Loud Conference

We ARE Family

Honoring and recognizing the many structures and diverse expressions of families, biological and chosen.

The 2022 Annual SIOL Conference will be Virtual

Thursday, May 26

The Saying It Out Loud (SIOL) Conference focuses on information sharing and networking to improve behavioral health services and decrease disparities faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ+) individuals. The conference strives to provide space to educate and share knowledge with attendees to better serve and support LGBTQ+ individuals and their families. Find out more about the SIOL conference by visiting this link.

Legislative Session Updates

The LGBTQ Commission identifies legislative priorities annually and works with our Legislative Advisors and other legislators to advance bills that expand the rights of the community. 

The current bills being monitored for 2022-23 so far are:

• Prescription drug affordability board
• Medicaid coverage of HIV drugs
• Possession of vapor, vapor products, tobacco, and tobacco products by minors (large percentage of LGBTQ+ youth affected)
• Keeping Department of Children, Youth, and Families working through an equity lens
• Decriminalization of sex work
• Increasing access to infertility treatment
• Increasing diversity, equity, and mental health at community and technical colleges
• Preserving abortion care rights  

You can find a full list of the bills we are watching in the 2022 session through this link.

The LGBTQ and ally community in Washington has several ways to be involved in advocating for issues that are important to us. Here are some tools you can use:

Washington State LGBTQ Legislative Caucus 

Contact Your Legislator

• Find Your Legislator: Enter your address to find your current legislative and congressional district.
• Legislative Hotline: 1-800-562-6000 (TTY for Hearing Impaired 1-800-635-9993). Callers to the Hotline can leave a brief message for their district legislators, Governor or Lt. Governor on issues of concern or on questions they may have about bills or laws. For non-English speaking callers, the Hotline offers interpreter services for many languages.
• E-mail: Click a legislator’s name to go to the e-mail form for that legislator
• Visiting the Legislature: Information about directions, parking, Capitol Campus activities and events, and tours.

Bill Information

• Bill Information: Find out the latest information on a piece of legislation.
• Legislative Process: Learn how a bill becomes a law.
• How to Testify in Committee: Your opportunity to testify comes at the committee hearings. If you cannot appear before a committee, contact your legislator making your position on a bill known.
• TVW: Washington’s public affairs network, providing gavel-to-gavel coverage of Washington State Legislature sessions and coverage of the Washington State Supreme Court and public affairs events.

LGBTQ Commission Committee Meetings

The Commission has a committee structure to carry out the work.  Here are the upcoming calendar of meetings.

February 1st at 10:00 AM - Executive Committee

February 16th at 11:00 AM - Economic & Business Development Committee

February 23rd at 4:00 PM - Vulnerable Communities Committee

For more information please visit here.

Jobs Opportunities for LGBTQ Washingtonians

Check out the list of job opportunities for the community on our Careers Opportunities page by visiting this link.

We are excited to share job postings sent to the LGBTQ Commission. There are three requirements to be included on our page:

• The job needs to be able to be done in Washington State (virtual works)
• The business must have an inclusivity and/or equal opportunity statement
• The job posting must include a salary range.

 Please send any job opportunity to share with the community to our Program Manager, Tracey Carlos (she/her) to tracey.carlos@lgbtq.wa.gov