Seattle considers $300K boost for groups serving LGBTQ+ people displaced by red-state bigotry

Seattle leaders could soon distribute $300,000 to LGBTQ+ organizations to welcome displaced transgender people to the city. The boost for local nonprofits comes as social services feel the strain of a massive influx of people fleeing persecution in Republican-led states.

The Seattle City Council’s Finance, Native Communities & Tribal Governments Committee voted last week to allot money from the city’s JumpStart Fund to the Seattle Human Services Department, according to Source One News. The increase in LGBTQ+ people moving to Washington comes as many Republican-controlled states enact policies hostile to LGBTQ+ rights, from outlawing gender identity-related health care for minors to criminalizing the use of restrooms that do not correspond with a person’s sex assigned at birth.

Related: Transgender Americans are fleeing hostile red states. Seattle says it’s overwhelmed

The JumpStart Fund comes from revenue generated by a tax on the city’s biggest employers and helps pay for housing services and economic recovery efforts launched after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck proposed a budget amendment allotting $300,000 for grants to organizations that serve the LGBTQ+ community. The money won’t be restricted to serving trans and queer refugees from other states, but the proposal comes as organizations helping those populations plead for support.

Seattle’s LGBTQ Commission in May formally requested that Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson declare a state of civil emergency because of the mass migration to the Emerald City. To date, the city has not officially declared such an emergency.

“Community-based organizations are already responding to this crisis: Gender Justice League, TRACTION, KOI, MANTIS, UTOPIA, Seattle’s LGBTQ+ Center, and other citywide and countywide organizations and mutual aid networks have provided support for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and families. Many IDPs have relocated from states such as Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Kansas, and Idaho due to anti-trans legislation, threats to personal safety, and barriers to healthcare and legal recognition,” reads a recommendation from the commission.

Related: Seattle advocates seek emergency support for transgender newcomers displaced from red states

The increase in displaced LGBTQ+ people has caused significant new demand for services, the commission said, including emergency financial aid, transportation, housing assistance, legal help, safety planning, community support, and access to gender-affirming care.

Funding for the grants must now be approved by the full Seattle City Council. The funding was not included in a budget recommendation from Wilson’s office.