WA Senate passes bill to protect runaway youth seeking gender-affirming or reproductive care
Shelters would not be required to report runaway youth seeking gender-affirming or reproductive care under a bill passed Wednesday night by Washington state senators.
The bill passed by a 27-19 margin. It will now head to the House for consideration.
Sen. Marko Liias, D-Mukilteo, is the bill’s prime sponsor. He said that a “significant proportion of our homeless youth population in the state identify as LGBTQ.”
“When we talk to young people, it is unfortunately the circumstance that for too many, home is not a welcoming place, it’s not a safe place,” Liias said. “So they have chosen to leave their homes, sometimes been driven out.”
As the law currently stands, shelter staff are required to report runaway youth to their parents within 72 hours unless a compelling reason exists not to do so. If notifying parents or a legal guardian puts the minor at risk of abuse or neglect, staff are required to instead notify the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families.
Senate Bill 5599 removes the requirement for shelters to report youth who are seeking gender-affirming care or reproductive care to their parents, but shelters would still have to report those youth to DCYF.
“It doesn’t say you can’t ever contact the parents, it doesn’t say ‘we don’t want to reunify the family,’ it says you are not required by law within 72 hours to contact parents or family members,” Liias said.
DCYF is focused on reunification and finding safe ways to reintegrate families when possible, he said.
Several Republicans spoke against the measure, and sent out a press release after the legislation passed the chamber. They said that the bill gives facilities an excuse to withhold the whereabouts of youth from their families.
“The legislation, passed on a party-line vote, would not allow teens staying at licensed youth shelters or host homes to undergo ‘gender-affirming’ surgery without parental approval. Nor would it allow other parents to hide children,” they wrote. “But it does clear the way for children between ages 13 and 18 to stay at these facilities without their parents’ knowledge for an indefinite time while seeking services related to gender dysphoria and gender transitioning.”
Senate Republicans contend the measure also paves the way for teenagers to “game the system.”
“A child can run away to a youth shelter, claim they are seeking protected health care services even if they really aren’t, and be hidden from their parents. It would not be the first time a teenager would take advantage of a legal loophole to avoid general accountability,” they said in the statement.
According to a 2018 study, LGBTQ+ youth are 2.2 times more likely than non-LGBTQ+ youth to experience homelessness.
If the bill is passed by the House and signed by Gov. Jay Inslee, it will go into effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns April 23.
This story was originally published March 2, 2023 at 12:29 PM with the headline "WA Senate passes bill to protect runaway youth seeking gender-affirming or reproductive care."
