On June 4th, the Pride flag raising ceremony at the Capitol was briefly interrupted by the graduation ceremony for Washington State Patrol (WSP) cadets that was happening at the same time. The first step in repairing any harm is accountability. The Washington State LGBTQ Commission is grateful for the swift action the Washington State Patrol took to take responsibility for incident. As the Commission, we also take responsibility for the scheduling oversight that allowed these two events to take place at the same time.
We appreciate WSP’s heartfelt apology and offer our own. As we know that in these times of struggle, we need the solace of a shared celebration that centers the importance of 2SLGBTQIA+ lives and hopes. I and my leadership team are working to better understand the reasons for the events and miscommunication that took place and seek to prevent any future disruptions of our public activities. We know this does not undo the harm done on June 4th and we are grateful to our community members who attended and continue to advocate for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Lisa Keating
Executive Director
Washington State LGBTQ Commission