Time running out for repeal effort targeting law to protect trans youth in crisis

There aren’t many signs an effort to repeal a new Washington law meant to protect transgender youth who are homeless or fleeing difficult family situations is gaining enough support to make it onto the November ballot.

Senate Bill 5599, which allows shelters to notify state authorities instead of parents when a young person seeks refuge to pursue gender-affirming care or reproductive health services, incensed conservatives, who say it’s an attack on parental rights. After Gov. Jay Inslee signed it into law in May, Referendum 101 popped up.

The campaign, dubbed ‘Reject 5599,’ is an attempt to get the issue in front of voters. To get the measure on the ballot, organizers must turn in valid signatures of at least 162,258 registered voters by Saturday, July 22. The signature counter on Reject 5599’s website currently sits at zero. 

Julie Barrett of Conservative Ladies of Washington said people are “eager to sign” in support of the referendum. But she said she didn’t know how many signatures the campaign had collected. “That’s a really good question,” Barrett said.

Dawn Land, who filed the referendum, did not return multiple messages.

Meanwhile, the Washington State Catholic Conference sent an email on June 15 to parishioners telling them that while the organization testified against the bill, they are officially taking a neutral stance on Reject 5599 and will not allow parishioners to collect signatures at parishes. 

“The WSCC’s current assessment is that the campaign to get Referendum 101 on the ballot is too far behind in collecting signatures and obtaining needed funding for a successful effort,” the message says. “The referendum is not likely to both make it on the ballot and pass in November’s election.” 

The Catholic Conference’s decision is a “huge blow” because very few people will go out of their way to sign a petition, regardless of their political beliefs, said Alex Chrostowski, Washington state lead of the far-right group Gays Against Groomers. Chrostowski said she’s gotten parents at suburban Pride events to sign the petition. 

“It’s regular parents who are coming up and signing at these events,” Chrostowski said. 

Others familiar with the repeal effort acknowledge it has long odds. 

Brad Payne, policy and government affairs director at the Family Policy Institute of Washington, a group that opposes the law, predicted an “uphill battle” to get Washingtonians to reject it even if the repeal measure makes it to the ballot.

“It’s still ultimately, I guess, in the hands of the people to decide,” Payne said. “Washington state being a very liberal state, we’ve got our hands full in trying to shift that ideology.”

‘This is about providing emergency shelter’

The Reject 5599 campaign assails the law for allowing what it claims is “legalized kidnapping.” And Barrett said she’s concerned the bill circumvents due process for parents.

“You call the police — even if they know where your kid is, they can’t tell you. In what world does that make sense?” Barrett said. 

But state senator and chief author of the bill, Marko Liias, D-Everett, said while the law could prevent a parent from knowing their child’s exact location, family reunification services will notify parents that their child is safe. 

Liias said the bill isn’t trying to encourage kids to run away — it’s addressing a reality that already exists: a homelessness crisis compounded by youth who refuse offers of shelter or leave it behind to avoid parental notification. 

According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, 37% of transgender people in Washington state had, at that time, experienced homelessness at some point. A survey from the Trevor Project, a national LGBTQ+ advocacy group, found 16% of LGBTQ+ youth have run away from home and 55% of those youth ran away due to mistreatment or fear of mistreatment due to their LGBTQ+ identity. 

“This is about providing emergency shelter to kids who are homeless,” Liias said. “There’s nobody in our state who thinks a 15-year-old should be living on the streets.”