Spokane City Council Votes on Ordinance Approving Protections of LGBTQIA2S+ Communities

Lisa Gardner, City Council Communications Director, 509.625.6226

Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at 11:41 a.m.

During Monday’s Legislative Session, the Spokane City Council voted 5-2 on an ordinance that ensures equitable protections for the LGBTQIA2S+ community regarding discrimination and affirms the right to seek gender-affirming care.

“I want to thank all the powerful and heartfelt testimony in support of this ordinance that is about supporting safety, freedom, and dignity,” said Council Member Paul Dillon.  “Spokane is a city where diversity is not just accepted but celebrated, and this ordinance shows our commitment to our city motto that In Spokane, we all belong, especially in a time of targeting and discrimination by the Trump administration and states that seek to ban care.”

The ordinance does the following to affirm and protect LGBTQIA2S+ communities:

  • Updates language in the city’s Human Rights code, defining gender affirming care in the city’s glossary, prohibits the city from collecting or disseminating information about anyone’s sex assigned at birth, unless it’s related to a criminal investigation.
  • Directs the Spokane Police Department to maintain an LGBTQIA2S+ liaison officer to act as a point of contact.
  • Adds a new section stating that city-provided healthcare shall cover the rights of individuals to access healthcare services and gender-affirming treatments that are legal in Washington State.
  • Spokane Municipal Code (SMC) Title 18 and state law currently offer protections for the LGBTQIA2S+ community against discrimination, including protections based on gender identity and sexual orientation. This ordinance will now revise the SMC to acknowledge the inherent risks faced by the LGBTQIA2S+ community in Spokane, particularly due to federal policies and interjurisdictional legal processes from states that do not recognize LGBTQIA2S+ rights or are working to deny such individuals access to essential medical care, including gender-affirming care.

“LGBTQIA2S+ people deserve the freedom to make their own health care decisions and deserve to feel safe in our community,” said Council Member Zack Zappone.  “That freedom and safety are under threat across the country. This ordinance ensures the City continues to protect LGBTQIA2S+ people and that they know that in Spokane, we all belong.”

About the Spokane City Council
The City Council is the legislative body of the City of Spokane, which is home to more than 229,000 people and is located in the heart of the Inland Northwest. The City’s 2,000 employees strive to deliver efficient and effective services that facilitate economic opportunity and enhance the quality of life for all our citizens. For more information, visit SpokaneCity.org/CityCouncil/ and follow us @SpokaneCityCouncil on Facebook.