August 2025 LGBTQ Commission Newsletter

After more than a decade of community advocacy, Washington State is recognizing LGBTQ small business owners in their supplier diversity efforts, so that state agencies, educational institutions, local governments and prime contractors can seek small and diverse firms to do business with. This is a piece of the larger effort to make Washington State’s economy look more like its population and to ensure that all qualified applicants are given a chance to bid on public projects, no matter their background.

This particular policy victory is inextricably tied to the formation of the LGBTQ Commission itself. It was one of several issues where community members were often told that “LGBTQ people do not face discrimination anymore,” or that to have LGBTQ issues addressed by the state, we needed a designated commission. Neither of those points were ever accurate, however, community advocates decided in 2018 that it was time to form a Commission to push for policies, including expanding supplier diversity efforts. Even with the establishment of the Commission and the focus of its Economic Development Committee, along with supportive state leadership and staff, it still took an additional 6 years to accomplish.

Policy work is not always fast, but perseverance can pay off. This effort has been largely led by LGBTQ business organizations like GSBA and the Inland Northwest Business Alliance, and by a number of LGBTQ small business owners who shared their stories about how certification - whether by the national NGLCC or by state and local governments - could benefit their businesses and their communities. This policy change would also not have happened without the strong support of Governor Ferguson, former Governor Inslee, and many supportive state employees, particularly those at OMWBE.

The Washington State LGBTQ Commission wants to help 2SLGBTQIA+ Washingtonians find the support they need. We are very excited to announce our new Rainbow Resource Hub. The Rainbow Resource Hub is meant to help consolidate trusted resources, tools, and information in an accessible way. 

While times are changing quickly for 2SLGBTQIA+ people across the nation, we hope this website resource provides a quick way to receive news updates, connect with local organizations to find support, and learn about your rights as a 2SLGBTQIA+ Washingtonian. 

Under RCW 43.114.050, the duties of the LGBTQ Commission include providing a clearinghouse for information regarding both state and federal legislation as it relates to our purpose and providing resource and referral information to agencies and the public. While the LGBTQ Commission does not provide direct services, we work to connect constituents with affirming supports across the state through our collaboration with state agencies and community organizations. If you can't find what you are looking for on the Rainbow Resource Hub, reach out to contact@lgbtq.wa.gov and a Commission staff member will get back to you. 

Interested in hearing about what the Commission is working on? Want to provide a public comment to the LGBTQ Commission? Come to our August public meeting in Tri-Cities, Washington!

On Friday, August 22nd, the Washington State LGBTQ Commission will convene for their fourth public meeting of 2025. We hope you are able to find some time join us to hear more about Commission work, and we highly encourage 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals around the state to tune in and share public comment with us, in-person or virtually, at 4:30pm. For more information on in person location, remote attendance, and more, head to our website at lgbtq.wa.gov.

Date: Friday August 22nd, 2025

Time: 10:00AM - 5:00PM Public comment will begin at 4:30pm

Location: Richland, Washington For in-person location details or Zoom Webinar information, head to our website.

What is public comment?

The public comment portion of our public meetings is a time for individuals to share their experiences as a 2SLGBTQIA+ person in Washington.

Here are some important things to know about public comment:

• Written comments can be received prior to the meeting. Please email your comment to contact@lgbtq.wa.gov. Please include your name and organization affiliation, if applicable.
• Public comments will also be received live either in-person or via Zoom. If you are in-person, there will be a sign in sheet. If you are attending virtually, there will be digital sign in shared in the chat.
• Public comments will be limited to 1-2 minutes, determined by number of individuals signed up to speak.
• Each individual can only give one public comment per meeting.
• Commissioners are not expected to respond to public comments during the meeting, but instead direct comments that merit action to their relevant committees.
• All public comments must be respectful. The Commission reserves the right to limit the time of public comments for individuals who use vulgar or derogatory language.

Washington is home to vibrant communities and diverse Washingtonians who all have unique talents, skills and experiences. Governor Ferguson 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 Ferguson 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.

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 contact@lgbtq.wa.gov