The Democratic mayor of Seattle this week proposed a city ordinance that would enhance protection for people seeking transgender care and surgery, calling for “hate, dangerous, discriminatory attacks” on the Trump administration’s LGBTQ+ community.
Mayor Bruce Harrell campaigned as a moderate before his victory in 2021, promoting public safety and supporting local businesses, according to the Seattle Times, but has previously expressed support for transgender care.
Harrell was elected following the death of George Floyd and the city’s riots after the deadly Capitol Hill autonomous zone along with the pandemic along with the devastated parts of the downtown area.
Harrell “signs the transition to center further away from Seattle’s left-wing leadership,” the Seattle Times wrote in 2023, 2021’s victory.
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Bruce Harrell was elected mayor of Seattle in 2021 (Matt Hayward/Getty Images)
On Thursday, conservative Seattle radio host Jason Lantz called Harrell’s proposed urban law “extreme” but called it “lol teeth” and mostly a “virtual signal” to gain favor with Seattle Progressive.
Harrell proposed the law after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to suspend federal funding for transgender healthcare providers for people under the age of 19.
“We are proud of Seattle’s reputation as a welcoming and inclusive city for the LGBTQ+ community, and we recognize their immeasurable contribution to the vibrancy and culture of our city,” Harrell said in a statement this week.
“The law is a concrete step towards strengthening local protections and standing with the LGBTQ+ community in the face of hateful, dangerous and discriminatory attacks from the Trump administration and others, ensuring that everyone has access to essential health services.”
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Trump’s executive order has filed a lawsuit and is currently blocked by courts.
Some hospitals across the country have suspended transgender care after Trump’s executive order to avoid losing funds.
A Seattle judge blocked the orders for four states in one of the cases filed by a group of Democratic-led states.
Seattle skyline seen from Lake Union, Washington. (via Jeff Halstead/Icon Sportswire, Getty Images)
Harrell added that the ordinance affirms Washington’s “shield law,” which protects transgender people who need reproductive services and those they provide from prosecutors.
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Harrell pointed out this week in a city release that he signed a bill in 2022 that made a misdemeanor crime of aggression on reproductive or transgender care.
He added that as a member of Seattle city council before his election, he is a “voiced” advocate for access to transgender care for city employees.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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