A Big Win For Gender-Affirming Care In Spokane, WA
At a time when LGBTQ+ healthcare is increasingly under attack, Spokane chose to codify legislation to protect it.
On Monday, Spokane, Washington did something revolutionary by passing legislation that affirms trans lives. The Spokane City Council voted 5–2 in favor of a new law that expands protections for LGBTQ+ residents, specifically the right to access gender-affirming care. As state legislatures across the country continue to target trans individuals, Spokane chose dignity over erasure.
This new law rewrites the city’s Human Rights Code to explicitly define gender-affirming care, prohibits the city from collecting or sharing information about someone’s sex assigned at birth (unless tied to a criminal investigation), and ensures that city-provided health care plans cover legal gender-affirming treatments. It also requires a mandatory LGBTQ+ liaison officer within the Spokane Police Department to ensure ongoing dialogue with the communities they serve.
Related: NYC Defiantly Counters Federal Attacks On Trans Rights With “Protect Trans Future Plan”
During the council session, Councilman Jonathan Bingle introduced a number of amendments in an attempt to restrict gender-affirming care for minors and limit access to gender-specific spaces. They were ultimately rejected, preserving the ordinance’s original intent.
Council Member Paul Dillon spoke plainly: “We must remain committed to being a city where everyone feels safe, free, and treated with dignity.” And Council Member Zack Zappone said what many of us need to hear right now: “In Spokane, we all belong.”
This move is more than symbolic. It positions Spokane as a city willing to legislate protection in an era defined by so much panic and risk faced by LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly trans and nonbinary people, and the need for local government to step up when federal and state policies fail.
At a time when trans healthcare in particular is increasingly under attack, Spokane’s new law offers a rare kind of clarity—that affirmation can be a matter of law, and can and will still be protected.
Related: Montana’s Legislative Shift Signals A Triumph For Trans Rights
