Gender Justice League (GJL) is an advocacy group for

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

genderqueer Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...

, nonbinary, and

gender non-conforming Gender variance or gender nonconformity is behavior or gender expression by an individual that does not match masculine or feminine gender norms. A gender-nonconforming person may be variant in their gender identity, being transgender or non-bina ...

individuals in

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

State in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The group advocates for transgender legal, political, and medical rights as well as participating in protests, awareness raising, and fundraising events.

History

Gender Justice League was founded in 2012 by transgender activists and allies. In 2013 they organized the first Trans Pride Seattle, which has since taken place annually in June.

Focuses

SafeHouse Program

Gender Justice League's SafeHouse program provides shelter and financial assistance services to transgender and gender diverse people who have experienced gender-based violence and houselessness in King county and along the Olympic peninsula.

Legal discrimination

Public Accommodation

One focus of Gender Justice League is curbing legislation that prohibits transgender individuals from using the bathroom that aligns with their

gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent, and consistent with the i ...

rather than their

sex assigned at birth Sex assignment (sometimes known as gender assignment) is the discernment of an infant's sex at or before birth. A relative, midwife, nurse or physician inspects the external genitalia when the baby is delivered and, in more than 99.95% of birt ...

, otherwise known as

bathroom bill A bathroom bill is the common name for legislation or a statute that denies access to public toilets by gender or transgender identity. Bathroom bills affect access to sex-segregated public facilities for an individual based on a determination o ...

s. Washington currently has a law that protects transgender individual's rights in public bathrooms, but GJL's activists are concerned about petitions that are trying to get rid of these laws and legal initiatives to overrule them.

Name changes

Gender Justice League has held legal clinics to help transgender individuals legally change their names. These clinics were specifically held between November 2016 and January 2017, due to the group's fear that newly elected president

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

might revoke transgender individual's ability to legally change their names once he was

inaugurated In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inaugu ...

. These clinics invited volunteers from various LGBTQ+ law organizations to do

pro bono ( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...

work, and the clinics served as many as 200 individuals. A problem arose, however, as the Gender Justice League wanted to provide money to those trying to change their names, but were unable to due to their tax status. GJL organized with

King County King County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Washington, and the 13th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle, also the st ...

to be able to give individuals seeking a name change the money to do so without forfeiting their nonprofit status.

Political activism

Seattle politics

Gender Justice League supports various political causes within the city of Seattle, not all of which are strictly related to transgender issues. GJL has also supported other efforts within the city, including bills that strengthen tenant's rights.

Kshama Sawant Kshama Sawant (; born October 17, 1973) is an Indian-American politician and economist who has served on the Seattle City Council since 2014. She is a member of Socialist Alternative (United States), Socialist Alternative, the first and only mem ...

was the recipient of a Gender Justice Award in 2015 for her political activism supporting transgender individuals. Sawant has also donated money from her "solidarity fund" to GJL, citing their efforts to help transgender individuals as the reason for her donation.

Washington State politics

Gender Justice League is active in influencing Washington State politics. They have had an impact in organizing against bills that they believe would harm transgender individuals in Washington, including Washington Senate Bill 6443 and state ballot initiatives 1515 (2016) and 1552 (2017).

National politics

In 2017

Lambda Legal Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, better known as Lambda Legal, is an American civil rights organization that focuses on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities as well as people living with HIV/ AIDS ( PWAs) through i ...

and OutServe-SLDN filed a lawsuit on behalf of Gender Justice League against

President Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

and the

U.S. Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secur ...

over the transgender military ban, proposed by Trump on July 26, 2017.

Events

Trans Pride Seattle

Gender Justice League organizes the annual Trans Pride Seattle, an event that is very similar to a

Gay Pride Parade A pride parade (also known as pride march, pride event, or pride festival) is an outdoor event celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer culture, queer (LGBTQ) social and self-acceptance, achievements, LGBT rights by country o ...

. The event was first organized in 2013, a year after the organization was founded. The 2016 event drew upwards of 5,000 participants. Members of Gender Justice League claim that the event is a necessary space for transgender individuals and their allies to form community and overcome isolation.

Gender Justice Awards

Gender Justice League holds an annual awards ceremony called the Gender Justice Awards, in which they celebrate individuals who have supported the transgender community.

Solidarity Music Festival

In 2016, Gender Justice League helped organize the Solidarity Music Festival as a form of anti-capitalist protest.

References

{{Reflist, 30em 2012 establishments in the United States Organizations established in 2012 Transgender organizations in the United States 2012 establishments in Washington (state)