The following action comes from the Washington Indivisible Network (WIN) and Stop Moms for Liberty:
Just two months ago, Governor Inslee signed into law SB-5599, a bill that ensures that transgender youth who are not safe at home and seeking life-saving care can depend on the state of Washington for safe shelter.Now, the ultra-conservative, so-called “Moms for Liberty” (M4L) and other conservative groups are gathering signatures for a referendum called R-101 to repeal SB-5599, which the anti-trans M4L claims constitutes “legalized kidnapping” instead of a way to keep kids safe from harm. In reality, all it does is involve the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) when a runaway or homeless teen uses a shelter and says that they lost or left their home due to LGBTQ or reproductive care reasons. This offers LGBTQ+ teens protections similar to those offered to youth who say that they are fleeing a parent who is addicted or physically abusive: a social worker investigates the safety of reunification and offers family services if needed rather than requiring the shelter to immediately notify the parents.
However, the disinformation surrounding this bill is enormous: M4L is claiming that the state will remove non-runaway kids from their homes, immediately assume full custody, provide gender surgery (that is not even available to youth under 18 in most circumstances), etc.
Let’s keep this bad referendum off the ballot, and ensure that safe shelter is available to youth who need it! Spread the word to friends and family: Decline to Sign R-101.
Learn about R-101: https://www2.sos.wa.gov/elections/initiatives/referendum.aspx
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/editorial-ballot-measure-isnt-about-parental-rights/
Fact checks:
https://apnews.com/article/washington-minors-shelter-law-faa73cb08aad4b040d9c32e90ab6f8c0
https://crosscut.com/politics/2023/05/wa-transgender-youth-bill-targeted-national-culture-war
Learn about Moms for Liberty: https://www.mediamatters.org/moms-liberty/inside-moms-libertys-summit-big-money-and-even-bigger-conspiracy-theories
New! Download our toolkit with social media graphics and printable flyers https://bit.ly/DeclineToSignR101-Toolkit
