Lacey held its LGBTQ forum on Wednesday. Here’s what residents had to say
About 40 people attended a forum in Lacey on Wednesday designed for the city’s Equity Commission to hear from lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer residents.
The Lacey Equity Commission, which was created in early 2021, is an advisory body to the Lacey City Council. It has been holding forums to hear from diverse groups and will use that information to help shape city policy. The group’s last forum focused on the Black and African American community.
Wednesday’s 90-minute meeting was described as an LGBTQIA+ community forum.
“The commission wants to know you, get to know you, what the issues are, what the concerns are, what’s going right and what’s on your mind,” said Commissioner Annie Clay, who co-chaired the gathering at Lacey Timberland Library with Commissioner Jon Hegwood.
The commission asked some questions of the audience, but also gave those attending time to share what was on their minds.
One theme that developed was the idea of improving representation and making sure under-represented groups are being heard.
Seth Huff, who previously served on the Lacey Historical Commission, referenced current local elections, noting that although many of the candidates seem well qualified, there is most often a lack of diverse candidates.
Huff believes there might be a knowledge gap and that more needs to be done to educate residents about the process. He also called on Lacey to improve its communication since it is a city that always seems to be in transition, in motion and filled with new people.
“We are all from somewhere else,” he said.
The Equity Commission has been considering the idea of paying a stipend to those who serve on boards and commissions as a way to attract and retain members. Council member Robin Vazquez, who attended Wednesday’s meeting with fellow council members Carolyn Cox and Malcolm Miller, called for an update on that process.
Assistant City Manager Shannon Kelley-Fong said the Equity Commission has recommended the city adopt a stipend program. It is set to come before the council at a work session in August, she said.
Resident and parent Spencer Zeman said he would like to see more child-friendly and child-care-positive events because he does not have evening child care and it is often a determining factor on whether he can attend an event, he said.
Although the controversial fast-food restaurant Chick-fil-A was not a focus of the meeting as it has been at past council and school board meetings, area resident Anna Schlecht did express her disappointment that the restaurant was allowed to sponsor a city event.
Lynn Grotsky, another resident concerned about Chick-fil-A, praised the city’s quick response to concerns about its sponsorship.
Carolyn Byerly, who recently returned to the Lacey area with her wife, Kay, after living in Washington, D.C., for many years, said the forum shows the city has come a long way.
“When we lived here 40 years ago, these issues were not talked about publicly at all,” she said. “I just want to give some credit to those of you who are doing this work — putting the forum on, the librarians, those of you who came tonight. It’s really refreshing. I love moving back here and seeing this progress. Let’s just keep working at it. I feel a sense of shared mission here.”
Still, resident Jeff Loyer said he had a recent conversation with a delivery driver who was a transgender man. He said the driver and his partner were moving to Seattle because it did not feel friendly here.
“That was an eye-opener because I thought we were friendly,” Loyer said. “It says we still have work to do.”
Lacey council member Malcolm Miller got the final word. He stood and addressed the audience.
“I, as a representative and resident of the city, want you to know that you do matter,” he said. “We do want you involved, we do want you engaged and we do value you and your opinion. ...You matter to the city of Lacey.”
This story was originally published July 13, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
