Advocacy for TwoSpirit, Trans, & Gender Diverse Life

Gender Justice League builds, grows, trains, and mobilizes TwoSpirit, Trans, & Gender Diverse (2STGD) communities to address the systemic oppressions we face. Our advocates assist 2STGD people with navigating complicated resources and systems, work to build coalitions, draft legislative position statements, coordinate community trainings, and engage in collective efforts to impact public and private decision-makers in addressing the widespread disparities our communities face. 

Our Impact

Our Advocacy Programs

Community Advocacy

Our community advocates conduct grassroots organizing to make demands for policy change in local, state, and federal government, as well as private organizations, companies, and educational institutions.

We mobilize TwoSpirit, Trans, & Gender Diverse communities to make clear demands, call for the enforcement of so-called “good” laws and policies (such as non-discrimination ordinances), and work to encourage culture change within WA State and beyond that facilitates these processes. We seek community-based solutions to reduce state violence, and to access safe, affirming, and affordable healthcare. 

1-on-1 Advocacy

Our 1-on-1 advocates offer TwoSpirit, Trans, & Gender Diverse community members peer-based support in accessing resources and services, learning more about legal rights, strategizing ways to navigate service providers, and more. 

We have supported community members in accessing and navigating:

  • Shelter and housing
  • Gender-affirming healthcare and mental healthcare 
  • Name and gender documentation processes 
  • And more!

We primarily support people with 1-on-1 advocacy through our Community Security Program. To contact an advocate, please visit this page and scroll down to “Reach an Advocate.” 

Our Community Advocacy Goals

Reduce State Harm & Violence

We define “state violence” as specific acts of government agencies, law enforcement, or legislature that criminalize 2STGD people or fail to protect our human rights. We aim to collaborate with policymakers and allies to reduce state violence against 2STGD people with the following strategies:

  • Reduce policing and imprisonment of our communities by advocating for abolitionist and community-based alternatives.
  • Reduce our exclusion from healthcare and state-funded programs.
  • Work to make it easier to file and prove claims of discrimination with the Human Rights Commission, City of Seattle Civil Rights Office, and similar agencies and programs offering civil rights protections.
  • Work to remove cost and need to see a judge for legal processing, name changes, and gender marker changes.
  • Engage in collaborative direct action organizing to end the Prison Industrial Complex.
Increase Access to Safe, Affirming, Affordable Care
  • Increase access to housing, shelter, and public accommodations.
  • Advocate with public and private entities to increase insurance coverage for gender-affirming healthcare—including any care deemed medically necessary by 2STGD people’s health providers.
  • Improve legal and medical interactions by providing education, demanding enforcement of non-discrimination laws, and holding providers accountable when they discriminate against 2STGD people.
  • Educate doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare agencies on issues facing 2STGD people in medical settings, and how to provide quality care.
  • Encourage doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare agencies to support ICATH (Informed Consent for Access to Trans Health).
  • Establish a network of providers who are trained and designated as safe providers for 2STGD people.
Increase Sustainable Employment
  • Work with job and vocational training programs to increase their capacity to serve 2STGD people. This includes broadening “gender-restricted” job training programs to be open to people who do not fit their rigid gender definitions.
  • Educate local business leaders about the alarming rates of poverty and unemployment in trans communities. We encourage and facilitate community dialogue about the severe problems of unemployment, homelessness, and poverty affecting all 2STGD people. 
  • Collaborate with local organizations to develop/adapt a training handbook for Human Resource Departments on 2STGD people in the workplace. Having a non-discrimination law is not enough! We work to provide education and resources to employers, human resource professionals, universities, colleges, and schools to understand how to implement non-discrimination laws fairly and effectively.

Together, we achieved some significant victories for queer and Trans people in the 2024 WA State legislative session. Check out our blog for all the details: 

2024 Legislative Session Update

Advocacy Team Testimonials

“I learned about different bills that our LGBTQ representatives must go over, so we all can obtain equal rights in WA State. I also learned that, when talking to the media, not to repeat negative comments, because it gives the opposition power, and if talking to the press, to be quick and to the point.”

– Jasmine, Advocacy Team Member 

 

“I enjoyed seeing where different people were in their experiences. Everyone comes from different backgrounds and levels of advocacy work, seeing where they are right now and the opportunities they were offered was amazing. Whenever you speak in person in front of a legislative committee, it brings feelings to the room. You get to see people’s comfort levels, and build upon them.”

– Nicki, Advocacy Team Member   

GJL advocacy team members and Planned Parenthood volunteers meeting with Sen. Dhingra’s staff on Advocacy Day (2023). Photo by Laza Hart. 

Oliver Webb, Stella Keating, Elayne Wylie, and Danni Askini in Olympia for Advocacy Day (2023). Photo by Lisa Keating. 

“I am honored and blessed to be on this team. It was challenging because it was my first time doing this work. [I enjoyed] hearing about the separate projects that advocacy members were passionate about. [Being on the advocacy team] meant a lot to me, I got to express the [values] of GJL and myself. I really enjoyed the opportunity to speak on the Equity Act at Sen. Pramila Jayapal’s town hall. Meeting her and the letter of appreciation I received from her was something I did not expect. This was a huge opportunity that opened the door for my advocacy career.”

– Duke, Advocacy Team Member 

 

“I enjoyed the flexibility to pursue a project I was passionate about instead of just being assigned something.”

– Adam, Advocacy Team Member