The Books of Love
Charlie’s Queer Books Is a Welcoming House for Seattle’s LGBTQ+ Lit Nerds
50 Years of Queers
Homosexual Betrayals! Wealthy Prudes! Queer Futures! And an Completely Stuffed Satisfaction Calendar!
The Stranger will go on the file saying we love homosexual folks. We love being homosexual folks, being buddies with homosexual folks, relationship homosexual folks, and, heck, we even love electing homosexual folks!
However none of that stops us from critiquing Seattle’s first lesbian Mayor for tear-gassing the gayborhood throughout Satisfaction Month, and we actually don’t wish to see the likes of former Mayor Ed Murray creeping again into the halls of energy.
Identical to straight elected officers, LGBTQ elected officers can typically slay, typically betray, and–once you take off your rainbow-tinted glasses–typically they wind up someplace within the grey. Let’s take a fast little look-see at some main examples.
Slay 🙂
Let’s begin with the constructive–it’s Satisfaction Month, in spite of everything.
Each single member of the present Washington State Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus has slayed a time or two, and yearly all of them spearhead and/or help payments to enhance and defend our civil rights. Sure, even Sen. Jamie Pedersen *grumble grumble*. However some slays have been extra main than others.
Wayyyyy again in 2011, Pedersen handed a invoice legalizing and regulating surrogacy, opening up alternatives for queer folks trying to develop into dad and mom. He additionally carried the homosexual marriage invoice for years earlier than its passage. Extra not too long ago, he helped repeal antiquated “lewd conduct” guidelines to free the nipple close to booze in homosexual golf equipment and in strip golf equipment.
Sen. Claire Wilson championed the Complete Intercourse Ed invoice in 2019 and sponsored laws to determine the Washington State LGBTQ Fee, guaranteeing that queer folks have a seat at each desk. That very same yr, Sen. Marko Liias handed a invoice codifying a bunch of finest practices associated to pupil information, privateness, and restroom entry for trans children. Final yr, Liias additionally staunchly supported and defended laws to guard trans runaways.
In 2024, Sen. Emily Randall handed a invoice to make sure that spiritual hospital mergers and acquisitions don’t limit entry to reproductive and gender-affirming care.
Past extra apparent wins for the women, the gays, and the theys, some legislators additionally perceive that queer and trans folks undergo underneath wealth inequality. Rep. Laurie Jinkins sponsored a capital good points tax yearly from 2012 till it lastly handed. Rep. Nicole Macri fights exhausting in opposition to the owner foyer to guard renters from gouging. And Rep. Beth Doglio state home has to approve a very neat invoice to offer putting employees unemployment insurance coverage advantages.
Grey :/
However illustration is just not a magic capsule to get all of the insurance policies that queer folks need, partially as a result of queer persons are not a monolith of blue-haired baristas just like the web would have you ever imagine.
Typically LGBTQ politicians really feel the strain to evolve to the average establishment as a result of they face extra scrutiny than straight friends. And typically, politicians of all sexualities simply suck.
Queer communities demanded that the State Legislature go lease management this session, however Sen. Pedersen determined to experience the fence as an alternative of taking a powerful stand with the progressive, working-class gays. When cops put homosexual nightlife underneath assault due to prudish legal guidelines round nudity and alcohol, Jinkins, the primary lesbian Speaker of the Home, didn’t do a lot chatting with the press! Citing her public well being background, she reportedly objected to the invoice as a consequence of considerations over the growth of alcohol licenses. She ultimately voted the precise approach, however queer folks, strippers, and queer strippers deserved a stronger advocate in Jinkins.
Some have betrayed the gays in additional delicate methods. For instance, Liias floated a foul automobile tabs “repair” in 2020 that will have slashed greater than a $1 billion in transit funding. LGBTQ+ folks want dependable public transit! They will’t drive! Or at the least I’m a queer one who can’t. Fortunately for us all, the proposal by no means landed.
Betray >:(
In fact, these weak moments from the caucus sorta pale compared to the shit homosexual Republicans and mayors have gotten as much as.
When he was within the State Legislature, Republican James West, who chaired committees and served for a yr as Senate Majority Chief, voted in opposition to homosexual rights payments and supported anti-gay payments. He later grew to become Mayor of Spokane, however he misplaced the gig over a homosexual intercourse scandal in 2006. Bruh.
On the opposite facet of the mountains, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan completely eroded public belief by allegedly dropping her telephone right into a tide pool, destroying textual content messages that would have revealed important details about her horrendous dealing with of the CHOP in 2020. However she’s one way or the other much less disgraceful than Murray, who left his place as Mayor in 2017 after being outed as an alleged youngster intercourse abuser, allegations he denies.
As a lot as The Stranger would like to see extra homosexual, lesbian, trans, and bisexual girls with boyfriends within the halls of energy, we perceive that we shouldn’t elect simply anybody with pronouns of their bio. Some queer folks have shit opinions. Some queer folks have nice opinions. And, in fact, no particular person–a lot much less a politician underneath the crushing strain of their donors and the establishments themselves–is ideal. However Rep. Macri comes fairly shut. ν