OLYMPIA, Wash. – The American Civil Liberties Union announced a lawsuit against the state of Washington for a ‘parent’s bill of rights’ that it says is unconstitutional on May 24. Gubernatorial candidate Dave Reichert (R) is pressing the Attorney General’s office to take a stand on the lawsuit.
The lawsuit stems from concerns that the lawsuit could violate the constitutional rights of LGBTQ+ people, especially students.
Advocacy organizations Legal Voice and QLaw joined the ACLU suit, arguing that the wording of the policy which was initially a state ballot initiative is dangerously vague.
“The initiative…violates the Washington Constitution by failing to identify the many existing laws it changes. Through vague and broad language, the initiative amends, contradicts, and runs afoul of numerous existing laws that protect students’ privacy rights,” the ACLU said when announcing the lawsuit in May.
Reichert has thrown his support behind the policy and argues that fellow governor’s race candidate Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D) should take a stand on the lawsuit.
“It’s been nearly two weeks since the suit was filed and AG Bob Ferguson still remains silent on the issue. Will AG Bob Ferguson do his job and uphold the law and voice of the people to protect these rights? Or will he side with the ACLU?” Reichert said.
Reichert has taken a notably conservative stance on LGBTQ+ issues, including denying the existence of transgender people. It is unclear whether the lawsuit alleging that the ‘bill of rights’ could harm the queer community will be contested by the Attorney General’s office. NonStop Local has reached out to the Ferguson Campaign for comment.
The lawsuit occurs in the midst of a contentious past few months for LGBTQ+ issues across the Evergreen State, including several high profile instances of vandalism of Pride murals.
