Expansion of Gender Ideology in WA Schools

A deep dive into Washington’s anti-parent laws and proposed expansion in 2025 - by Julie Barrett

Nearly 4 years ago, after our family’s encounter with Washington state’s anti-parent laws, I started out on a mission to learn about when the laws were made, who proposed them and who supported them. I discovered so many alarming things that I've continued to stay deep in the rabbit hole, exploring various issues and their surrounding policies.

The biggest issue to me, personally, is the issue of families and protecting our children. Today I want to “connect some dots” for you with current legislation as it pertains to Washington k12 education students. One of the things I have learned is that legislation is like a “web” - no bill stands alone (usually) and is somehow connected to bills passed previously or other proposed bills in the current session.

RCW 28A.642 deals with “Discrimination Prohibition.” So far for the 2025 session, 5 bills have been pre-filed that would amend sections of this RCW (revised code of Washington).

1. SB 5123 Amends RCW 28A.642.010: Extends anti-discrimination protections in Washington public schools to include additional categories such as ethnicity, gender expression, gender identity, homelessness, immigration status, and neurodivergence.

   New Definitions: Introduces definitions for terms like "ethnicity," "gender expression," "gender identity," "homelessness," "immigration status," "neurodivergence," and "sexual orientation" to clarify legal protections.

2. SB 5180: Sec 2. amends RCW 28A.642.080 to enforce gender-inclusive policies in schools. This section aims to ensure that every school district in Washington State has clear, enforced policies protecting “transgender” and “gender-expansive” students, with a structured approach to policy implementation, communication, and enforcement through designated personnel.

   More details: https://www.votervoice.net/CLWA/Bills/67565

3. SB 5181: Amends I-2081 aka the “Parents’ Bill of Rights” to bring it into alignment with the anti-discrimination language of RCW 28A.642

   More details: https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2025-26/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5181.pdf?q=20250109070147

4. SB 5166 and HB 1197 are companion bills which means they are identical bills filed in separate chambers. Only one bill will advance and pass and will have to go through a full vote in each chamber to pass. These bills are the operating budget - they are very long and include a lot of garbage. Many expenditures get snuck into these bills before final passage.

   As it applies to RCW 28A.642: $1,500,000 of the general fund—state appropriation for fiscal year 2025 is provided solely for the office of the superintendent of public instruction (OSPI) to conduct a one-time compliance review of every school district in Washington state between July 2024 1 and July 2025 related to compliance with state nondiscrimination laws.

   *Essentially, they are doing a review of the schools’ adherence to the gender inclusive policies for $1.5 million.

   

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