On an unusually hot April day, socialites gathered and sought out a cool breeze with the even cooler cocktails of Koko’s tequila bar. The tickets to attend the soirée weren’t cheap — prices started at $100 to get through the door — but that’s for a good reason.
Before dazzling performances by local drag icons Harper Bizarre and Miss Texas 1988, student athlete Giselle Gonzales took the mic to speak.
“When I got kicked out of my house, I went from shelter to shelter. But I started playing basketball and soccer. I absolutely loved it. Sports have given me a new life,” Gonzales told the crowd.
“I’m not some predator. I’m just a Trans individual who’s looking for an escape from the world. I’m fighting for my right to throw a basketball on the court, and I’m asking you to protect my rights.”
Gonzales has the loving support of the event’s organizers, “The Queer Agenda,” a progressive political group founded last year to shepherd Dionne Foster, Erika Evans, and Alexis-Mercedes Rinck into office. For its next goal, it hopes to stand as an oppositional force against “Let’s Go Washington,” the right-wing PAC led by hedge fund multimillionaire Brian Heywood.
If you know Heywood, it’s likely for his attempts to kill progressive projects, like the capital gains tax and carbon markets, by throwing his money behind ballot initiatives. His relentless use of this tactic, originally meant for public coalitions rather than the ultrarich, has rubbed many the wrong way.
This year, he’s already secured signatures for two initiatives to appear on the 2026 ballot.
IL26-001, if passed by the voters, would restore elements of the “Parents’ Bill of Rights.” The bill as originally drafted allowed parents to access a student’s medical and mental health records, and to review the content of academic materials, before it was revised by House Democrats.
It’ll likely be joined on the ballot by IL26-638, which would ban Trans girls playing in girls’ sports. To enforce the ban, student athletes would have to “medically verify” their sex assigned at birth, which activists fear could subject minors to invasive genital exams.
“The money for their campaign is essentially being pumped in by one man,” said Miss Texas, while bantering with Harper Bizarre. “Imagine having that much money and wanting to be a bad person?” quipped Bizarre in response.
While both initiatives aren’t favored to pass, their failure is certainly not guaranteed. They also have the more eye-catching message. For both The Queer Agenda and its collaborators, the opposition campaign “No Hate in Washington State” will have to fight against the apathy that arises when people are asked to retain the status quo.
“It’s worth saying: We’re on the defense here,” said Libby Watson, campaign manager for No Hate. “None of us wanted this, yet we have to organize to keep our state safe.”
So to stand strong against incendiary bigotry, No Hate will use every cent of those $100 tickets to pay for day-to-day staff expenses, research polling, and a future marketing budget. Heading into November, the hope is to have part-time organizers not just in Seattle but also in eastern and rural Washington, where Trans allyship is less commonplace.
“Fundraising is always a huge challenge”, Watson told the SGN. “So it’s beautiful to see how many people are here, having some joy, helping to validate the work we do. It’s really meaningful for our cause.”
IL26-001 and IL26-638 will be on November 3 ballot, alongside major races for seats representing City Council District 5 and the Washington Supreme Court.
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