January 30, 2023 LGBTQ Commission Newsletter

Office of the Governor / Office of Financial Management sent this bulletin at 01/30/2023 09:45 AM PST

January 30, 2023 Newsletter

Connect with the Commission

Recap of January Meeting of the LGBTQ Commission

The Washington State LGBTQ Commission held its first public meeting of the year in Olympia on January 20 and 21. During this meeting, in addition to conduct the regular business of the agency, the Commissioners engaged in intentional conversations to identify strategic priorities for the next couple of years. This generative conversation was led by an outside consultant with expertise in LGBTQ advocacy work. The strategic priorities must align with the legislative declaration to establish the Commission, as defined on RCW 43.114. During the meeting, Commissioners identified five areas of work. The Commissioners also selected an Ad-hoc Strategic Planning Committee to assess each area of work, determine their alignment with the Commission’s mission and vision, and present recommendations to the full Commission for adoption. The Ad-hoc Strategic Planning Committee selected for this work is composed by Commissioners Marsha Botzer, Nick Franco, and Matt Landers. The Ad-hoc committee will present their recommendations at the next public meeting of the agency, scheduled for March 17, 2023.

Apply to the LGBTQ Commission Today!

The mission of the Washington State LGBTQ Commission is to improve the state’s interface with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, two-spirit, and intersex community, identify the needs of its members, and ensuring that there is an effective means of advocating for LGBTQ equity in all aspects of state government. We accomplish this work by listening and engaging our community throughout the state with the support of 15 members, appointed by the Governor, to serve for a three-year term as Commissioners.

If you are a resident of Washignton, over 18 years old, and who identifies within the LGBTQ and Two Spirit community, you qualify to serve as a Commissioner! We are looking for people who understand the challenges facing the LGBTQ in Washignton today, who are interested in shaping policy to support LGBTQ Washingtonians, and who can really commit to being present to advocate with and for the community. The WA State LGBTQ Commission offers stipends for qualified, appointed Commissioners according to the “Community Compensation Guidelines” adopted by the Office of Equity and found here. Everyone is welcome to apply, and LGBTQ Washingtonians with expertise or lived experience in these areas are particularly encouraged to apply:

- Rural communities and cities and towns outside of the I-5 corridor

- Older LGBTQ people

- LGBTQ and Two-Spirit members of Tribal Nations

- Disabled and neurodivergent LGBTQ people

- Active military servicepeople, veterans, or spouses

- Small business owners and entrepreneurs

- LGBTQ people of mixed, Desi, Black, Latina/o/x, Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander racial and ethnic identities

If you are interested in being considered to serve as an appointed Commissioner, please fill out the application form found on the Governor’s Office of Boards and Commissions here. You can also nominate others to be considered. If you have applied in the past, were not selected, but want to be considered again, please fill out a new application.

Canceled – Townhall on Infertility Bill

Canceled Public Townhall on Infertility Bill HB 1151 & SB 5204 Monday - January 30 6:00 - 8:00 PM Link: tinyurl.com/InfertilityBill Physical Location: WA State LGBTQ Commission 905 Plum Street DE Suite 300 Olympia, WA 98501 RSVP: tracey.carlos@lgbtq.wa.gov

Opportunities for the Community

Save A Life With Pride

Capital City Pride is inviting the Current & Future Queer Leaders of Olympia to take part in Narcan Training Feb 3rd, 2023 Friday @1pm. This is but one of our very first safety trainings of the year. Meet-Up @ Lamplighters. RSVO to natalie@capitalcitypride.net This event is free

INFO:

NARCAN TRAINING & CERTIFICATION

FEB 3rd @1pm

211 Fourth Ave E

Olympia, WA 98501

Learning Opportunity: Moving from Affirmation to Action: Working with Trans, Non-binary and Gender Nonconforming Individuals

Friday March 17th, 2023

8:30 am - 2:45 pm (Pacific)

Three consecutive workshop sessions with goals to increase affirming providers' capacity to offer gender affirming mental health care. This training requires a basic understanding of gender and will ask participants to further deconstruct the gender binary and explore the influence of Westernization, medicalization and white supremacy in our conceptualization of gender affirming care. Participants will also have the chance to learn more affirming language and practices that can be used in the therapy room.

Priority will be given to clinicians who serve individuals with Apple Health (Medicaid).

$50 Registration Fee

Continuing Education Hours will be offered

Stay tuned for more updates!

Reach out to contactus@sayingitoutloud.org for questions

Seattle’s LGBTQ Center – Apply for Arts Funding!

The Seattle Office of Arts and Culture and Seattle's LGBTQ+ Center are offering grants of up to $15,000 to foster the growth of QTBIPOC artistic and cultural expression on Capitol Hill. Projects of any size will be considered, and artist groups may use the funds for creative activations like performances, workshops, exhibits, and more. Please apply by February 13, 2023.

Cultural events, experiences, and spaces provide reasons for people to gather, confer identify, and build community which are ever more critically important during the current COVID pandemic and recovery process. This program seeks to support recovery efforts through collaboration, equity, resiliency and safety in alignment with the City of Seattle’s vision of One Seattle.

Apply through Seattle's LGBTQ+ Center if based on Capitol Hill, or see a list of other Lead Organizations in the full guidelines if based in another neighborhood. If you're part of a QTBIPOC artist group, read the full guidelines and then get started on your application at gaycity.org/ArtsApp.

More info: gaycity.org/Neighborhood-Recovery-Program

Love = Equally

Secretary of State Steve Hobbs cordially invites you to an exhibit opening LOVE, =QUALLY The Journey to Marriage Equality Tuesday,February 14, 2023 at 3 pm in the State Reception Room, Thurd floor of the Legislative Building, Olympia Reception to follow in the Office of the Secretary of State Please RSVP to info@sos.wa.gov All Legacy Washington exhibits are privately funded,

To learn more go to Legacy Washington

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 2023 so far are:

Legislative Priority:

HB 1089 - Supporting adults with lived experience of sex trafficking.
SB 5114 - Supporting adults with lived experience of sex trafficking. Companion bill
HB 1151 - Mandating coverage for fertility services.
SB 5204 - Mandating coverage for fertility services. Companion bill

Affecting the community:

SB 5008 - Providing parents and legal guardians access to instructional materials.
SB 5009 - Requiring parental or legal guardian approval before a child participates in comprehensive sexual health education.
SB 5024 - Establishing parents' bill of rights related to their child's public education.
SB 5028 - Revising the process for individuals to request name changes.
SB 5029 - Empowering school district boards of directors.
SJR 8202 - Amending the Constitution to address reproductive freedom.
HB 1028 - Supporting crime victims and witnesses by promoting victim-centered, trauma-informed responses in the legal system.
HB 1207 - Preventing and responding to harassment, intimidation, bullying, and discrimination in schools.
HB 1155 - Addressing the collection, sharing, and selling of consumer health data.
HB 1469 – Concerning access to reproductive health care services and gender-affirming
HB 1239 - Establishing a simple and uniform system for complaints related to, and instituting a code of educator ethics for, conduct within or involving public elementary and secondary
HB 1263 - Concerning material changes to the operations and governance structure of participants in the health care marketplace.
HB 1408 - Creating an account for the pharmaceutical rebate revenue generated by the purchase of medications for people living with HIV who are enrolled in the early intervention program.
SB 5142 - Creating an account for the pharmaceutical rebate revenue generated by the purchase of medications for people living with HIV who are enrolled in the early intervention program.
SB 5230 - Concerning extended foster care services.
SB 5237 - Establishing complaint procedures to address noncompliance with certain state education laws
SB 5241 - Concerning material changes to the operations and governance structure of participants in the health care marketplace.
SB 5351 - Addressing the collection, sharing, and selling of consumer health data
SB 5355 - Mandating instruction on sex trafficking prevention and identification for students in grades seven through 12
SB 5441 - Promoting the adoption of school district curricula that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
SB 5462 - Promoting inclusive learning standards and instructional materials in public schools
SB 5489 - Concerning access to reproductive health care services and gender-affirming treatment in Washington state.
SB 5186 - Requiring antidiscrimination clauses in public contracting

You can find a full list of the bills we are watching in the 2023 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.

Open Call for LGBTQ+ Visual Artists

Calling all LGBTQIA+ visual artists for Fred Hutch’s Public Art and Community Dialogue Program! Selected artists will create commissioned artwork informed by our Community Dialogues to be displayed across the Fred Hutch Seattle campus and featured in public and community program materials. Selected artists will also receive $5,000 for their commission and participation in the program.

Artists who work in a variety of visual media will be considered. Examples of media include, but are not limited to, traditional art, digital art, collage, graphic art, mixed media and textiles. Fred Hutch employees and staff are not eligible to apply at this time. Deadline for Applications: Friday, February 10

Learn more: fredhutch.org/en/about/about-the-hutch/diversity-equity-inclusion/public-art-and-community-dialogue/artist-call-details.html

Working Families Tax Credit - A New Tax Credit for Washington Workers

Starting in 2023, the Working Families Tax Credit is a new tax refund that helps Washington workers and their families get more money back at tax time. The refund returns a portion of sales tax paid each year and is modeled after the federal Earned Income Tax Credit program.

The purpose of the Working Families Tax Credit is to stimulate the local economy, promote racial equity, and support the financial stability and well-being of low-to-moderate income Washington residents and their families.

This credit program is managed by the Washington State Department of Revenue (DOR), the state’s tax administration agency.

Find out more information about this program by visiting the Working Families Tax Credit page through this link.

Interested in serving on Commissions and Boards?

Monthly Upcoming Appointment Opportunities

Washington is home to vibrant communities and diverse Washingtonians who all have unique talents, skills and experiences. Governor Inslee places a high priority on boards, commissions, and agencies that are reflective of the diverse make-up of Washington and that utilize the impressive talent of Washingtonians. We are always seeking skilled and experienced individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds to participate in boards and commissions ensuring an effective and representative government.

We are excited to share the highlighted Current and Upcoming Gubernatorial Appointment Opportunities.

As someone with deep roots in your respective communities and organizations, we hope that you will share these opportunities. Anyone interested in being appointed will need to fill out this Application. Please explore the Boards and Commissions Profiles if you are interested in learning more about the many opportunities to get involved!

Thank you for your assistance in helping Governor Inslee find well-rounded candidates with significant talent and diverse experiences. Please feel free to reach out to Boards and Commissions staff with any questions you might have. Thank you for your time.

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

Have something you want to share in our newsletter? Please send any submissions to Tracey Carlos, Program Manager, at tracey.carlos@lgbtq.wa.gov

Deadline for all submissions is Thursdays by 12:00 PM Pacific Time.

Published Monday mornings.