The WA State LGBTQ Commission would like to celebrate and honor Hispanic Heritage Month by spotlighting an important and influential Latina trans woman in LGBTQ and Latino/a/x history, Sylvia Rivera. Born in New York City in 1951, Rivera’s mother was Venezuelan, and her father was Puerto Rican. She had an extremely difficult childhood, experiencing parental loss, homelessness, and discrimination for how she expressed herself as a young trans girl. Into adulthood, Rivera consistently advocated and fought for the expansion of LGBTQ rights, especially for transgender liberation. Rivera was involved in some of the earliest large-scale attempts at LGBTQ organizing, most famously participating in the events leading up to and after the 1969 Stonewall Inn uprising. Along with her friend Marsha P. Johnson, in 1971 Rivera founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), the first organization of its kind dedicated to helping homeless transgender youth. She struggled with mental health challenges and substance abuse her entire life but would continue to make activism a priority and march for trans rights until her death in 2002.

Despite the tremendous amount of work that Rivera devoted to the queer community, she was not always met with support and acceptance from those she was trying to liberate. Transgender and gender non-conforming individuals have historically been marginalized even within the LGBTQ community itself, and Rivera experienced this many times throughout her life. She was often told by prominent white gay activists at the time that drag queens and the trans community would hold gay liberation back and was barred from speaking at the very pride parades she helped establish. It wouldn’t be until 1994, the 25th anniversary of Stonewall, that she would be recognized and honored at Pride. Her life and legacy are a reminder to us all that rejection and marginalization exists within the LGBTQ community, often affecting trans people and people of color, and it is vital that we endeavor to foster intersectional inclusion within our population and the state of Washington.

Learn more about Rivera’s life and work on the National Women’s History Museum site.

October is LGBTQ History Month, a time to celebrate milestones in civil rights and the work of those who made them possible. The Washington State LGBTQ Commission and Legacy Washington, authors of Love, Equally: The Journey to Marriage Equality, invite you a panel discussion commemorating ten years of same-sex marriage in Washington. Our panelists will reflect on how marriage equality was won, share lessons learned from the movement, and demonstrate how those lessons are applied to today’s battles for civil rights in the LGBTQ community.

Date: October 9, 2023
Time: 11:30 – 1:00 pm
Location: Columbia Room Legislative Building, Olympia
Also check out the Love Equally Online Exhibit!

The Office of Equity has contracted with RTI International, a non-profit research organization, to conduct a study of Washington State Patrol related to workforce Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). The purpose of this study is to develop agency-specific strategies for pro-equity anti-racism practices, policies and procedures that improve agency programs and services and reduce disparities across the agency. As part of this initiative, RTI will conduct in-person and virtual community listening sessions to solicit feedback from groups that are underrepresented in the WSP workforce. We hope someone from your organization will consider participating!

Please know that your participation in the listening session is confidential no information or thoughts you share will be directly attributed to you in any reports received by WSP or the Washington Office of Equity. RTI will produce a report that provides only aggregated summary results of the listening sessions, and statements will not be directly attributed to specific participants. Participation is voluntary and will last about 90 minutes. To thank you for taking the time to participate in the listening session, in-person sessions will provide complimentary refreshments and snacks. If it is requested, childcare will also be provided for the duration of the listening session. All participants, in-person and virtual, will be compensated for their time.

 Listening sessions will be held at the times and dates below. If you are interested in participating in a listening session, please access the registration form at WSP DEI Community Listening Sessions Registration Form.

1. October 2: Spokane, Equity & Community Inclusion Center (at the Resource Center of Spokane County) (tentative). 4:00-6:00pm.
2. October 9: Bremerton, location TBD. 4:00-6:00pm.

We value your perspective and input and look forward to using the results of this survey to improve DEI strategies in the Washington State Patrol. If you have questions about the Community Listening Session or overarching project, please contact RTI International (wspcommunity@rti.org).

MultiCare Health Systems invite bisexual women of color in Washington state to consider joining their THRIVE Community Steering Committee.

Joining the THRIVE Community Steering Committee involves:

• Committing to a two-year term that includes participating in eight meetings per year. 
• Co-creating approaches to improve bisexual Women of Color’s representation in maternal health research, so no one gets left behind.
• Contributing to the development of an anti-racist, bisexual-affirming maternal health toolkit for maternal health providers and birth workers.

To make meeting attendance easiest for a wide group of people, MultiCare Health Systems will hold all meetings virtually. Our team can help identify community spaces with free computers and WIFI access as needed. Members will be provided $75 as compensation after every meeting attended.

Those interested in becoming THRIVE Community Steering Committee members and/or learning more can reach out to Deana Williams, the study lead, at deana.williams@multicare.org or complete the intake form at https://redcap.link/JoinThrive.

November 7^th, 2023

8:30 AM – 3:00 PM

Venue TBD, South Seattle Metro Area

King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and Anti-Defamation League’s Pacific Northwest Office are presenting the 2023 Public Safety Summit on Hate Crimes. KCPAO invites law enforcement and community partners to share ideas and feedback so we may provide an improved response to individuals and communities impacted by hate crimes. Coffee and lunch will be provided. Kindly RSVP to sarah.cranfill@kingcounty.gov.

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.