The Washington State LGBTQ Commission is proud to have requested the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance Proclamation for the state of Washington, signed by Governor Bob Ferguson. We encourage you to share this with your communities as we honor Transgender Day of Remembrance. Continue reading for the full text of the Proclamation.
WHEREAS, individuals who identify outside of the gender binary have existed in the Pacific Northwest prior to the arrival of Europeans, including in many Indigenous cultures that honor the Two-Spirit identity, a third gender distinct from the Western gender binary; and
WHEREAS, the city of Seattle became the sixth city in the country to include "gender identity and expression" in its nondiscrimination ordinance in 1986; and
WHEREAS, in 2019, Washington state established one of the nation's earliest statewide LGBTQ Commissions, demonstrating its commitment to uplifting LGBTQ Washingtonians; and
WHEREAS, according to the Williams Institute, transgender people are over four times likely to experience violence compared to their cisgender counterparts; and
WHEREAS, transgender women, youth and people of color face a disproportionate amount of discrimination, stigma and bias that can fuel abuse and violence against their community, and,
WHEREAS, Washington state works to ensure that acts of discrimination and hatred, including acts of violence towards transgender individuals, are not tolerated; and
WHEREAS, Washington state has a long-standing tradition of upholding the dignity of the individual and recognizing that one of its greatest strengths is the diversity of its people; and
WHEREAS, by celebrating the historical and ongoing contributions of transgender individuals and communities in Washington, the state affirms the identities, dignity and strength of transgender Washingtonians; and
WHEREAS, Transgender Day of Remembrance helps bring public awareness to anti-transgender hate crimes and honors the memory of those hurt and killed by acts of anti-transgender violence each year;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Bob Ferguson, governor of the state of Washington, do hereby proclaim November 20, 2025, as
TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
in Washington, and I affirm the importance of supporting the transgender community in Washington and honoring the contributions of transgender individuals throughout history.
Signed this 14th day of November, 2025
Governor Bob Ferguson