Seattle’s Democratic mayor this week proposed a city ordinance that would strengthen protections for those seeking transgender care and surgeries, while calling out the Trump administration’s “hateful, dangerous and discriminatory attacks” against the LGBTQ+ community.
Mayor Bruce Harrell campaigned as a moderate before his win in 2021, pushing public safety and helping local businesses, according to The Seattle Times, although he has expressed support for transgender care previously.
Harrell was elected following riots in the city after George Floyd’s death and the deadly Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone that, along with the pandemic, devastated parts of the downtown area.
Harrell “symbolized a shift toward the center, away from some of Seattle’s further-left leaders,” The Seattle Times wrote in 2023 of Harrell’s 2021 win.
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On Thursday, conservative Seattle radio host Jason Rantz called Harrell’s proposed city legislation “extreme,” but “mostly toothless” and mainly “virtue signaling” to gain favor with Seattle progressives.
Harrell proposed the legislation after President Donald Trump signed an executive order halting federal funding for providers of transgender healthcare for people under 19.
“We are proud of Seattle’s reputation as a welcoming and inclusive city for the LGBTQ+ community and recognize their immeasurable contributions to the vibrancy and culture of our city,” Harrell said in a statement this week.
“This legislation is a tangible step to strengthen local protections and stand with our LGBTQ+ community in the face of hateful, dangerous and discriminatory attacks from the Trump administration and others, ensuring that everyone has access to essential healthcare services.”
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Trump’s executive orders have been met with lawsuits and are currently blocked by the courts.
Some hospitals across the country halted transgender care after Trump’s executive orders to avoid losing funding.
A judge in Seattle also blocked the orders in four states in one of the lawsuits filed by a group of Democrat-led states.
Harrell added that the ordinance affirms Washington state’s “Shield Law” that protects transgender people needing reproductive services and those who provide them from prosecution.
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Harrell noted this week in a release by the city that he signed a bill in 2022 that made encroaching on reproductive or transgender care a misdemeanor offense.
He added that, as a member of Seattle’s City Council before his election, he was a “vocal” supporter of access to transgender care for city employees.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
