Post submitted by Narissa Rahaman, HRC Western Regional Field Organizer

This weekend, after I-1552 failed to qualify for the November ballot, HRC staff celebrated with coalition partners and equality activists at Tacoma Pride.

On Friday evening, hours after the news broke about I-1552’s defeat, Washington Won’t Discriminate (WWD) Campaign Chair Seth Kirby hosted a gathering to thank supporters for their dedication and hard work that led to a victory for transgender Washingtonians. Kirby also thanked HRC for having staff on the ground throughout the campaign to support the work being done by local coalitions.

HRC staff and local leaders were on hand at Tacoma’s Pride Festival to continue the celebrations and talk to festival goers about the discriminatory ballot initiative, HRC’s contributions to WWD and our dedication to continue working with local partners.

HRC remains steadfast in its commitment to keep existing non-discrimination laws in place and will continue working with local coalition partners on the ground to ensure that transgender Washingtonians feel safe in the Evergreen State.

For the second year in a row, a campaign to rollback non-discrimination protections for transgender people failed to turn in enough signatures to qualify for the ballot in Washington state. Washington’s Secretary of State’s office announced that the I-1552 campaign cancelled its appointment to turn in 259,622 valid signatures. Learn more here.