World AIDS Day, held every year on December 1^st, is a global day of recognition that honors those who live with HIV/AIDS and those who we have lost to the disease. Since the first reported cases in 1981, HIV and AIDS have impacted the lives of millions of people, with a disproportionately high percentage of those individuals being 2SLGBTQIA+ and/or BIPOC. The impact of the AIDS crisis plays a large role in 2SLGBTQIA+ history and life in Washington and the Washington State LGBTQ Commission continues to advocate for access to HIV/AIDS treatment and resources for all Washingtonians.

According to the Washington State Department of Health, nearly 14,000 people in Washington state are living with HIV. To learn more about our state’s data collection on HIV/AIDS, please visit the DOH HIV Dashboard, which can be found here. The Washington State LGBTQ Commission would like to highlight several state programs and non-profit organizations around the state that provide services to people living with HIV/AIDS. This list is not exhaustive, and we invite you to explore our resources tab on our website and this page with the Department of Health to find more HIV/AIDS resources in the state.

• Washington State Department of Health – WA State DOH has several programs for those living with HIV or at higher risk of contracting HIV. These programs include the HIV Community Services Program, the HIV Care – Client Services Program, the Early Intervention Program (Washington state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program, ADAP), the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Drug Assistance Program (PrEP DAP) for those who are HIV negative and have high risk factors that expose them to HIV, the Medical HIV Case Management Program, and the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program (HOPWA).
• LifeLong Seattle – “LifeLong’s wraparound care model supports the whole person by breaking down barriers and improving access to nutritious food, stable housing, and vital health resources for people living with diabetes, HIV, kidney disease, and other life-challenging illnesses.”
• Entre Hermanos – Entre Hermanos provides a multitude of HIV/AIDS related services to Washington’s Latino/a/x 2SLGBTQIA+ community, including prevention efforts, case management, housing assistance, and more.
• SAN (Spokane AIDS Network) – A non-profit “raising awareness about the impact of HIV and AIDS in Spokane, working in close partnership with community stakeholders to serve as a bridge for resources for people living with and impacted by HIV and AIDS.”
• Cascade AIDS Project – Cascade AIDS Project “promotes well-being and advances equity by providing inclusive health and wellness services for LGBTQ+ people, people affected by HIV, and all those seeking compassionate care.”
• POCAAN – Originally People of Color Against AIDS Network, POCAAN is “a multicultural, multi-social service agency that addresses disparities in marginalized communities in Seattle and greater King County by offering a wealth of health services and community programs.” One of our Commissioners, Commissioner Steven Sawyer, is the Executive Director for POCAAN.
• Blue Mountain Heart to Heart – Blue Mountain Heart to Heart, located in southeast Washington, is “a community-based organization focused on serving marginalized communities in rural areas in order to improve individual and community health. Across six counties and five offices, they support two major program areas: case management for specific client populations, and prevention programs to limit the spread of communicable disease.” One of our Commissioners, Commissioner Everett Maroon, is the Executive Director for Blue Mountain Heart to Heart.

This year, the Washington State LGBTQ Commission was invited to attend and co-sponsor the 20^th Annual Stronger Together World AIDS Day Event at Seattle’s LGBTQ Center, formerly known as Gay City. This meaningful event consisted of speakers discussing the past and future of HIV and AIDS in Washington state, drag and musical performances, silent auction benefitting Seattle’s LGBTQ Center’s HIV care programs, and a walkthrough of the AIDS Memorial Pathway (AMP). The AMP is a public art display in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle that is a “physical place for remembrance and reflection, shares stories about the epidemic and the diverse community responses to the crisis and provides a call to action to end HIV/AIDS, stigma, and discrimination”.

The Commission would like to thank Seattle’s LGBTQ Center for the invitation and for putting on this event to support care for people living with HIV. You can learn more about Seattle LGBTQ Center’s Wellness Center, which provides HIV/STI testing, PReP, and more, here. We encourage you to support and engage with Seattle’s LGBTQ Center, along with all of the previous resources listed previously, so that these organizations can continue to do important work regarding the care of our community.

The Washington State LGBTQ Commission is looking for a Program Manager to join our team.

What this job is about:

As the Program Manager, you will be responsible for overseeing and managing multiple projects within our agency. Currently, the WA State LGBTQ Commission has four main programs:

• Legislative Priorities Advocacy
• LGBTQ Youth Advisory Council
• Comprehensive LGBTQ Survey
• Internship program

Your role will involve planning, coordinating, and executing various initiatives to achieve the agency’s objectives and strategic goals. If you are a proactive and strategic thinker with flexibility, excellent leadership, and good communication skills, you'll be the ideal candidate for this position.

You will thrive in this position if you enjoy:

• Public service.
• Being a team player.
• Learning, growing, and innovating.
• Strategizing to solve complex problems.
• Having a positive, open, flexible, and curious attitude.
• Supporting and engaging diverse groups of people to solve big and small problems and improve state government processes and services.

Please note: The WA State LGBTQ Commission recognizes that minoritized workers – such as people of color, women, 2SLGBTQ people, veterans, people with disabilities, seniors, etc. – often forfeit opportunities because they might not have all the qualifications listed. At the WA State LGBTQ Commission, we are dedicated to building a diverse and authentic workplace centered in belonging. If you are excited about this role but your experience does not align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may just be the needed candidate for this role.

For a full job description and instructions on how to apply, please visit this link: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/4276026/program-manager?keywords=LGBTQ&pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs

December is fast approaching, and so is Home for the Holidays! The holidays can be tough on us all. So come spend it with community! Join Rainbow Center Tacoma and OASIS Youth Center for a festive gathering filled with warmth, laughter, good food, crafts, and queer entertainment of all varieties hosted by Lavinda Lyfe @hair_by_waynr. Stay tuned as they announce the rest of their performers!

When: Friday December 8th 4:30-8pm

Location: 2215 Pacific Ave (enter through the Rainbow Center)

Cost: FREE!

Home for the Holidays is open to all queer people and allies of all ages. RSVP here!

Your mental health is an important part of overall wellness, however financial barriers such as copays, transportation, or childcare can make accessing mental health services difficult. Spectrum is pleased to offer micro-grants up to $300 per applicant to help remove financial barriers to accessing therapy and other behavioral healthcare services. Funds are limited and will be distributed based on need. Apply now at this link!

The Washington State Legislature has one of the finest page programs in the country. Each year, hundreds of students from across Washington State have the opportunity to take part in the legislative process and observe the Legislature and other branches of state government in action.

Pages are sponsored by legislators and serve for one week during the legislative session, which runs January-April in odd numbered years and January-March in even numbered years. Pages spend their week learning about the legislative process while distributing materials throughout the Capitol Campus, assisting offices, delivering messages, working on the Senate or House Floor, and presenting the colors at the opening of the day's legislative session. Pages also spend time each day in Page School learning about all aspects of state government.

In order to serve as a Page, participants must:

• Have parent or guardian permission
• Receive a recommendation from a teacher and your principal
• Be at least 14 years of age and have not reached your 17th birthday
• Provide a Social Security card in order to receive the page stipend of $65 per day. If you do not have a Social Security card, you are still able to participate without receiving the daily stipend. *

To learn more, visit the Legislative Page Programs and Page School website here. Click here to learn more about the Gina Grant Bull Memorial Legislative Page Scholarship Program. To apply to be a page, click here.

The Washington State Department of Commerce is initiating a Request for Application (RFA) process to fund $500,000 in fiscal year 2024 for the physical security of nonprofit and religious nonprofit institutions. Grant recipients must have reasons to believe they have been subject to security threats and demonstrate a need for enhanced security. Grant funding must be used and limited to purchasing security hardware and equipment to enhance the security of the buildings and grounds of such organizations.

Responses to the RFA are due by 5 p.m. PST, Dec. 19^th, 2023.

Please click this link to learn more

We’ve been watching the leaves change color and recovering from our first colds of the school season, and that means it is finally time – the Pride Foundation 2024 scholarship application is now open.

The Pride Foundation’s scholarships fund LGBTQ+ students who are leaders – in their own lives, in their families, in their home communities, in their field of study, in their workplace, or in our movements for justice. The Pride Foundation’s program provides resources to students who need to most, regardless of school, major, or GPA.

Since awarding their first scholarship in 1992, Pride Foundation has awarded over $8.5 million to 2,452 students in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Through the incredible generosity of our community, Pride Foundation has more than 60 scholarship funds – but students only need to complete one application.

Applications are due Friday, January 5, 2024, and any LGBTQ+ student who is a resident of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, or Washington state is eligible to apply. You can find out more details about the basic requirements, process, and application here.

Help us make sure every student in our region knows about the opportunity for support – please help spread the word to students in your networks – or apply yourself!

Calling all queer poem writers of Washington State and adjacent tribal lands!

As part of my term as the Washington State Poet Laureate, I’m putting together an anthology of poems from queer writers of all stripes across the state. I want to hear from people trying out poetry for the first time, as well as regular writers and widely published poets. I want to include work by folks across spectrums of sexual orientation, gender, and sexuality in general (ace/aro family, I’m looking at you—send me work!), and from across the full breadth of our state.

Poems can be on any topic. This anthology takes the stance that all art made by queer artists is queer art, whether it draws explicit attention to an identity or not. Send me your love poems, the poem you wrote on the bus or in the park, poems where you wrestle with yourself, poems where you love existing, poems that take a metaphor and run with it, tribute poems, grief poems, ecstatic poems, sleepy poems, poems that barely know what they are or what they’re becoming, I want it all. Traditional and experimental work are both welcomed.

The final anthology will be published online and made available as a free resource. I’ll organize poems in a tagged and searchable format (like a database), making sure the tags are correct to the poem and its author. There is no payment available but chosen writers will appear in a publicized, widely available anthology and may get opportunities for readings and events following the anthology’s launch.

I hope to hear from you soon! And please pass this call around!

Best,

Arianne True

Submissions are due Friday, December 15^th, 2023. Click here for more info and to submit.

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.