A tally of 2026 Washington trans rights victories on International Transgender Day of Visibility

While this year’s International Transgender Day of Visibility brings a legal setback for LGBTQ+ communities across the nation, there are better signs for civil rights protections here in Washington.

The 2026 legislative session included some important victories for transgender rights.

A key win was SB 6081. This legislation creates a public records exemption for sex designation information — including historical changes to sex designations—in vital records and Department of Licensing files.

The bill was designed to close a loophole that could be exploited to target transgender Washingtonians through public records requests, protecting them from the unauthorized disclosure of their gender history.

It was signed into law this month.

“For Trans people, exposure of gender history isn’t abstract—it increases the risk of harassment, discrimination, and violence,” advocacy group Gender Justice League said about the passage. “This bill closes a dangerous gap that could have been exploited to target Trans Washingtonians through public records requests. This is about preventing harm before it happens.”

Trans advocates are also applauding a broader privacy and surveillance bill that has paved the way for changes here in Seattle. SB 6002 places restrictions on how Automated License Plate Reader data can be collected, retained, and shared.

Tuesday, the Seattle City Council extended the change add new protections here, passing legislation to expand the triggers for a mandatory 60-day pause in data collection for the Seattle Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center cameras and Automated License Plate Recognition systems.

The Gender Justice League applauded the passage but said the bill was weakened by amendments. “Protecting driver privacy is about healthcare autonomy, freedom of movement, and resisting over-surveillance—especially for people seeking gender-affirming care or abortion in Washington State, where those services are legal,” the group said.

Meanwhile, another state bill passed this session establishes parameters for conducting searches of transgender and intersex individuals confined in local jails.

For the Gender Justice League and other trans advocates, the biggest legislative wins this year might be in what was not passed.

“Every anti-Trans bill introduced this session died without coming to a vote on the floor,” the group says. “These proposals failed because our community and our allies showed up early and often to make it clear: these attacks have no place in Washington.”

The Gender Justice League organization has more work ahead in 2026. CHS reported here on its efforts to support No Hate in WA State, a statewide group formed to oppose two Washington anti-trans initiatives headed for the November ballot.

Meanwhile, the League is also planning this year’s Trans Pride celebration on Capitol Hill. Want to be part of it? You can apply to perform at the 2026 edition of the celebration of trans rights here.

$5 A MONTH TO HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE

Subscribe to CHS to help us hire writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. To stay that way, we need you. Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for $5 a month — or choose your level of support