Speak Your Story

Are you an LGBTQ+ student in Washington State who has experienced bullying, harassment or discrimination due to lack of protections for queer students or anti-LGBTQ policies in your school district? We want to hear your story!

But first, here is ours: Our organization, Clark County Pride, was founded in part to stand against anti-LGBTQ+ policies in local and especially rural school districts. One such example is Policy 3211P, a dangerous policy targeting trans and gender-nonconforming students in our hometown of La Center. La Center School District (LCSD) took what was originally a state-mandated “Gender Inclusive Schools” policy meant to protect queer students and modified it to serve more as a “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell" policy, requiring that gender expansive students be reported to school administration and outed to their families. This modification of the policy directly contradicts the best practices recommended by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the National Education Association (NEA) and the National Center for Transgender Equality. Over 30 teachers and para-educators filed a civil rights complaint with OSPI before the policy was even adopted, but nearly two years have passed and OSPI still hasn’t made a decision about the complaint. Since LCSD adopted this anti-trans policy, it has spread like a hateful wildfire through other local rural districts—yet, LCSD is the only district where a complaint has been filed so far.

To bring visibility to the situation, Clark County Pride is launching a story campaign to help share the experiences of queer students in Washington State targeted by anti-LGBTQ policies and/or failed by lack of protections in their schools. These stories will be used to help spread awareness and to further inform state legislators fighting to protect LGBTQ students in Washington State.

It’s scary to speak up—that’s why, in an effort to collect as many stories as possible, we want to create a space to share yours with the option of anonymity. We thank you in advance for sharing your story with us.