Jayapal // Youtube
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Over 400 Washingtonians joined Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-7) and other community leaders under the glimmer of a spinning disco ball in the name of fighting transphobia. Jayapal led the crowd in a call-and-response chant: “No hate in our state!”
The rally, in Seattle, marked the Pride Month kickoff of the “No Hate in WA State” campaign against a pair of ballot measures that will be put to a vote this November: IL-001 & IL-638. The former is a reboot of a prior “Parental Bill of Rights”-style policy previously gutted by the state legislature that would institute dangerous forced-outing provisions for transgender students.
The latter ballot initiative could force tens of thousands of student athletes each year to undergo invasive genital exams just to play on girls’ sports teams; like many such policies, cisgender boys will be exempt from any such interrogations of their gender or bodies.
“It’s disgusting,” said King County Executive Girmay Zahilay at the rally. “That’s not the kind of world that I want my daughters to grow up in.”
Another voice off camera can be heard chiming in, “Can you say, ‘sexual assault’?”
No Hate in WA State is Washington’s response to Brian Heywood, a Seattle-area hedge fund founder who has spoken openly about his plans to pour millions into voter referendums to advance his conservative agenda. The oligarch is a recurring figure in the local political scene.
“[Heywood is] funding anti-trans initiatives and trying to rob our state of the revenue to take care of basic services for all Washingtonians. It’s not just about transphobia. It’s about money and politics and the ability of one rich man and oligarchs to usurp our democracy,” said Jaelynn Scott, executive director of the Lavender Rights Project and a candidate for state office. “Do not let them divide us.”
Indeed, the No Hate campaign has a steep hill to climb against the anti-trans financier. No Hate has generated $736,000 this year while Heywood’s PAC—Let’s Go Washington—has raked in almost $2 million, Jake Goldstein-Street reports in the Washington State Standard.In an interview with Goldstein-Street, a Let’s Go Washington spokesperson vowed to “combat the spending behemoths” of labor unions such as the SEIU, which largely organizes health, food, and government workers, as well as the WEA, which represents teachers. These groups are part of a coalition fighting to protect transgender children and gender equality more broadly.
But it is far from the first time Heywood has tried to buy referendums. And grassroots organizing has outmaneuvered him in years past. “We have beaten this playbook before in Washington State,” Congresswoman Jayapal told the crowd. She is the co-chair of the Congressional Trans Equality Task Force and the mother of a transgender daughter.
“This massive coalition that has come together in opposition to these initiatives: doctors, nurses, teachers, parents, athletes,” she said. “We are the majority.”
Jayapal, who is currently running for re-election, condemned what she described as a conservative political ploy to detract from more pressing issues, like the rising cost of living or wars overseas. “They are hoping that you focus on this, that people blame trans kids instead of blaming them,” she said.
During a time when some Democrats are leaning into anti-trans rhetoric, especially when it comes to transgender athletes, Jayapal’s call to action was unwavering and clear: Washingtonians should vote NO on IL26-001 and IL26-638. Speakers also emphasized the importance of recruiting volunteers and donors.
Washington is far from the only state where the ultra-rich are peddling conservative gender ideologies through referendums or ballot initiatives. But the No Hate in WA State campaign serves as an important reminder for lawmakers this election cycle: Attacks on trans rights are attacks on the right to privacy and autonomy for everyone.
“We are not leaving anyone behind,” Jayapal insisted as the room erupted in cheers. “We protect and we stand up for all of our kids.”
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