Lavender Rights Project

DeCrim: LRP works to end the criminalization of Black communities through legal advocacy, community power building, and targeted political action. We work to disrupt transmisogynoir everywhere by collaborating with those most impacted by violence, injustice, and discrimination. By investing in the safety of our community, LRP is fighting for the liberation of those most vulnerable. Among our key achievements in 2023 is the passage of the Shield Law, safeguarding those seeking gender-affirming care from discrimination and legal repercussions. We also successfully advocated for budget line items specifically allocated for gender-affirming healthcare, ensuring that these essential services are adequately funded and accessible to all trans community members. Through our Movement Lawyering efforts we seek to decriminalize Black communities by tracking legislative activities and plugging into partnerships that build community support through action and will provide direct legal services to select cases that align with these efforts. We are currently focusing on a campaign to end Cash Bail in the state of Washington which disproportionately impacts low-income Black people, especially Black trans people. LRP also provides legal and policy education to the communities we serve. Our "know your rights" summits and other community education workshops are designed to build grassroots movement and advocacy led by the Black trans community. The DeCrim department also works to educate legal professionals throughout Washington state. For example, this year our Lead Attorney provided training to more than 250 higher and lower court judges from the Superior and District Court system on the issues faced by our clients and our approach to creating change. Similarly, they also led a training for the Washington State Bar Association's executive body followed by a second training to approximately 2,200 WSBA general attorneys.

Economic Justice: LRP recognizes Economic Justice as a cornerstone of protecting all Black life and the long-term safety of Black gender diverse communities. We prioritize direct economic support and movement building as answers to legacies of workplace discrimination, harassment, and sexual violence. In 2022, LRP launched a two-year pilot Guaranteed Base Income (GBI) program to provide a small group of people at risk of houselessness with a $1,000 monthly stipend that supported immediate stabilization. We are currently evaluating the data from the pilot program and working with partners to expand GBI. In addition, LRP intends to build our Economic Justice focus to explore issues like reparations, employment, small business support, and financial education for members of our community.