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Organizations in Washington State
This page was last updated on 09/18/12
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ACLU – American Civil Liberties Union – of Washington: provides general legal information, agency referrals, and basic coaching to help people assert their rights. With chapters in Benton-Franklin, Clark , Grays Harbor, Kitsap, Pierce, Whatcom, and Whitman Counties and student clubs at five Universities (see: http://www.aclu-wa.org/getinvolved/localchapters.cfm or call 206-624-2184 for chapter and club information). Contact: Legal Program Associate; Phone: 206-624-2180; 705 2nd Ave. Suite 300 , Seattle, WA 98104; Website: http://www.aclu-wa.org

Camp Ten Trees - offers a loving and engaging residential summer camp program in western Washington State.  One week is for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth and their allies (ages 13-17).  Another week is for children (ages 8-17) of LGBTQ and/or non-traditional families.  Camp Ten Trees is a place for diverse youth who share a common experience to come together to build community through both typical camp activities as well as age-appropriate opportunities to explore diversity, identity, and youth coalition building. This summer camp program is guided by a commitment to social justice and by the values of Courage, Health, Inclusion, Play, Stewardship, Family, Acceptance, Integrity, and Leadership.  Founded in 2000, Camp Ten Trees has long benefited from the involvement of campers, volunteer staff, and supporters from the Pacific Northwest, across the United States, and beyond.  For more information on registering for camp, volunteering, or otherwise supporting this non-profit endeavor, please contact Camp Ten Trees today! Office address: 1122 E Pike ST, #1488; Seattle, WA 98122; Phone: 206-288-9568; Email: info@camptentrees.org; Website: http://www.camptentrees.org

Equal Rights Washington (ERW): is a statewide political advocacy organization for the LGBT community of Washington State with the primary mission of ending discrimination of gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-gendered persons in every corner of the state. Email: info@equalrightswashington.org; Address: 1115 E. Pike Street, Seattle, WA 98122; Phone: (206) 324-2570; Fax (206) 323-4444; Website: http://www.equalrightswashington.org/

GLSEN Washington State: GLSEN is an education organization creating safe schools for all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. GLSEN Puget Sound strives to assure that each member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.  Contact person: Robert Raketty, Executive Director; 1605 12th Ave, Suite 32; Seattle, WA 98122 (Next to the Capitol Hill Arts Center); Phone: 206-330-2099, or 877-GLSEN-WA; Fax: 206-329-1185; Toll-Free number for anyone outside the Seattle Metro area! (877) GLSEN.WA (877-457-3692); Email: mail@glsenwa [.] org; Website:  http://www.glsenwa.org

GLSEN Washington State's Transgender Youth Awareness Program: http://www.TransgenderYouth.org
GLSEN Washington State's Washington State Gay-Straight Alliance Network: http://www.wagsa.org

GSBA – The Greater Seattle Business Association (see “Scholarships”)

Hate Free Zone Campaign of Washington: HFZ was established after the increase in racist attacks on Arabs, Muslims, and those perceived to be Arab or Muslim subsequent to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The Campaign's mission is to establish Washington State as a place where all individuals can feel safe, secure and welcome, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation, and where acts of hatred and discrimination will not be tolerated. The Campaign offers political advocacy, support for hate crime victims, education and training and media campaigns. Contact person: Pramila Jayapal, Executive Director; Website: http://www.HateFreeZone.org; toll-free hotline: 1-866-HF-ZONE-1.

Ingersoll Gender Center: a nonprofit agency for the transsexual, transvestite and transgender community, offers support and peer counseling, recreational events, educational workshops and referrals to therapists. 1812 E. Madison, Seattle. Phone: 206-329-6651; Contact form: http://www.ingersollcenter.org/contact; Website: http://www.ingersollcenter.org

Legal Marriage Alliance of Washington: a nonprofit organization educating the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered community and the general public on how to advance the civil right of same-sex couples to legal marriage. LMAW serves as a clearinghouse for same-sex marriage information in Washington State and offers speakers and resource materials. Phone: 206-464-3009; Email: legalmarriagealliance@juno.com; Website: http://www.lmaw.org

Northwest Rainbow Alliance of the Deaf: hosts social events and educational workshops and publishes a newsletter (both print and online). Serves all of Washington and Oregon. NWRAD promotes solidarity and equality through advocacy and communication avenues to Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and Hard of Hearing gays, lesbian, bisexuals, transgender, queers and intersex (GLBTQI) individuals. Website: http://www.nwrad.org

Legal Voice: offers legal advocacy on reproductive freedom, family law, health care, economic justice, violence against women, children & youth; lesbian & gay rights, civil rights, employment discrimination, education & athletic discrimination, public benefits (welfare), and more. Founded in 1978 as the Northwest Women's Law Center, the organization has been the vanguard organization bringing groundbreaking litigation and fighting for landmark legislation to ensure justice for women in the Pacific Northwest for more than 30 years. They serve the Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA). Address: 907 Pine Street, Suite 500 - Seattle, WA 98101; Administrative Office Hours: Monday through Thursday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm, Closed Fridays. Legal Information & Referral Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm; Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm; Phone: Administrative Office - (206) 682-9552, Legal Information & Referral: (206) 621-7691, (866) 259-7720 (Toll Free), (206) 521-4317 (TTY); Fax: (206) 682-9556; Email: info@LegalVoice.org; Website: http://www.nwwlc.org/

The Office of the Education Ombudsman (OEO): this conflict resolution service located in the Governor’s Office for Washington families and public schools. Education ombudsmen are trained problem solvers who bring families and educators together to resolve conflict and disputes that affect students. As impartial third parties, they provide consultation, coaching, facilitation and mediation services. OEO functions separately from the public education system. "We help families and educators resolve problems that affect student learning. Our free, confidential services are available to kindergarten through 12th grade public school students, families and educators."  http://www.governor.wa.gov/oeo/

OSPI – The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction: This is Washington State’s department of education. Three programs are of particular importance to educators serving GLBT students and students harassed for being perceived to be gay:

OUTfront Seattle: An Amnesty International LGBT Action Team.  Promoting LGBT rights locally, nationally and internationally through innovative, informational, affective and passionate events and campaigns. Website: http://www.outfrontseattle.org/. Contact person: Eleazar Juarez, outfrontseattle@gmail.com

OutSpoken LGBT Youth Speaker’s Bureau: a program of The Northwest Network of Bi, Trans, Lesbian and Gay Survivors of Abuse, OutSpoken is a diverse group of LGBT and allied youth, adults and providers dedicated to challenging bullying, oppression and anti-LGBT violence in our schools. By training youth to be educators, the OutSpoken Speakers’ Bureau empowers youth to directly address and challenge the systems that impact their lives. They hold regular trainings to support you in building the skills needed to be an educator, and then pay them to share thier experiences and knowledge with others. Interested in having a panel of LGBT and allied youth at your school, organization or event? Outspoken has panels available on the topics of coming out, youth empowerment, anti-oppression, being a queer youth of color, experiences in foster care, alternative education, experiences in faith communities and much much more. Address: P.O. Box 18436, Seattle, WA 98118; Phone: 206-568-7777; Email: info@nwnetwork.org; Website: http://nwnetwork.org/what-we-do/youth-programs/ 

PFLAG – Parents Families and Friends of Lesbians & Gays – Washington State Council: supports the efforts of local chapters, which promote the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, their families and friends through support, to cope with an adverse society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights.  12819 SE 38th Street #236, Bellevue, WA 98006-1395; Phone: 425-562-6636; Website: http://www.pnwpflag.org/washington.html 

The Pride Foundation: a community-based organization, with offices in Seattle and Spokane and chapters around Washington State. The foundation strengthens the GLBT community through scholarships to individuals and grants to groups. Serves the Pacific Northwest (WA, OR, ID, MT and AK). Phone: Seattle, 206-323-3318, Spokane, 1-888-575-7717, National: 1-800-735-7287; Website: http://www.pridefoundation.org

Safe Schools Coalition: a public-private partnership that works to reduce bias-based bullying and violence in schools and to help schools better meet the needs of sexual minority youth and children with sexual minority parents by. Nationally, the Coalition:

The Safe Schools Coalition also serves the community within Washington State by:

Safe Schools Coalition; Mailing address for information: Safe Schools Coalition c/o Rosehedge; 1401 East Jefferson Street, Suite 401; Seattle, WA  98122; Message Phone: 206-451-SAFE (7233); Intervention help (Washington State only, Monday-Thursday 2-8 PM): 1-877-SAFE-SAFE; Email: questions at Safe Schools Coalition; Website: http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org

For other contact information for Safe Schools Coalition, see this page: http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/about_us.html

Scouting for All - NW Region: advocates on behalf of its members and supporters for the restoration of the traditionally unbiased values of Scouting as expressed and embodied in the Scout Oath & the Scout Law, and to influence the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) to serve and include as participating members ALL youth and adult leaders, regardless of their spiritual belief, gender, or sexual orientation. NW Regional Email: nwscouting@yahoo.com ; National Website: http://www.scoutingforall.org/

Trikone-Northwest: Creates supportive, empowering, and affirming spaces for differently oriented South Asians. They have monthly support groups and potlucks, as well as resources for queer and questioning South Asians. They are not specifically youth-oriented but would welcome youth involvement. 1122 E. Pike St. #1174, Seattle, WA 98112-3934; Phone: 425-985-4376; Email: tnw@trikone-nw.org ; Website: http://www.trikone-nw.org 

U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, Seattle field office: OCR’s Seattle office serves AK, HI, ID, NV, OR, WA, American Samoa, Guam, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. It provides technical assistance in collaboration with state and local education and law enforcement agencies to encourage educational institutions to improve their anti-harassment policies and procedures and to assist students and their parents to work with schools to enhance the schools’ anti-harassment capability. One caveat: OCR is NOT specifically charged with intervening in anti-gay harassment, unless it is sexual in nature (e.g., groping someone because she’s perceived to be lesbian or threatening to rape someone perceived to be gay – these incidents would qualify as sexual in nature). U.S. Department of Education, 915 Second Avenue Room 3310, 10-9010, Seattle, WA 98174-1099; Phone: 206-220-7900, TDD: 206-220-7907; Email: OCR_Seattle@ed.gov; Website: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/howto.html

WEA (Washington Education Association – Washington State & U.S.: WEA offers training and technical assistance on diversity issues as they affect a safe schools environment. They also provide legal counsel and support to represented employees of Washington State schools. Mailing address: P.O. Box 9100; Federal Way, WA 98063-9100; Street address: 32032 Weyerhaeuser Way S.; Federal Way, WA 98001-9687; Phone: 253-941-6700 or, outside the Seattle-Tacoma area, 800-622-3393; Fax: (253) 946-7604; Website: http://www.washingtonea.org

Washington State Human Rights Commission: WSHRC enforces the Law Against Discrimination (RCW 49.60). The Commission works to prevent and eliminate discrimination by investigating human rights complaints and providing education and training opportunities throughout the state. Washington law forbids discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation (and defines that as including gender identity) in public accommodations – including schools -- and employment. There are offices in Olympia, Seattle, Spokane, Vancouver and Yakima. Toll Free: 1-800-233-3247, TTY: 1-800-300-7525. Website: http://www.hum.wa.gov/

Washington Gender Alliance: an educational and support organization serving the entire gender community,  with a speakers bureau,  and open support meetings,  SOFFA (Significant Others,  Friends,  Family,  and Allies) support meetings,  and FTM (Female to Male) support meetings. Phone: 360-445-2411; Email: info@washingtongenderalliance.com; PO Box 1901 Mount Vernon,  WA  98273; Website: http://www.washingtongenderalliance.com/

Washington State Association for Multicultural Education: WSAME (wuh-SAH-mee) is a collaborative association of representatives from public and private school districts, colleges, universities, local and state governmental agencies, organizations, businesses, and other groups which advocate for and support the cause of multicultural, diversity and international education. P.O. Box 15404 Seattle, WA 98115; Email: wsame@mindspring.com; Website: http://www.wsame.org/

Youth Suicide Prevention Program: YSPP envisions Washington as a state where youth suicide is a rare event, where young people are nurtured and supported, where individuals and families are aware of risk factors for suicide, and actively seek help from accessible, effective community resources. To that end, they focus on public awareness, training, and communities in action. Training is available that focuses on GLBTQ youth and the issues they face. These trainings are for service providers that want more information about suicide prevention and early intervention, more information on why GLBTQ youth are at an increased risk for suicide and self harm, and how they can best support these youth to increase their protective factors against suicide and self harm.  Address: 444 NE Ravenna Blvd., #401, Seattle, WA 98115; Phone: (206) 297-5922; Fax: (206) 297-0818; General email: info@yspp.org; Website: http://www.yspp.org/

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