BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The Bellingham City Council met on July 7 to discuss changes to a new draft ordinance reaffirming their support of LGBTQ+ community members and their rights.
Included in the bill are provisions that the city will challenge any unconstitutional policies or orders that target LGBTQ+ community members. Councilmembers said that the ordinance will protect individuals’ access to healthcare, free speech, education and gender expression, and that each department of the city will be responsible for compliance with the code.
The draft ordinance comes in response to a series of policies issued by the Trump administration that threaten LGBTQ+ people’s ability to exercise their rights. On the first day of his second term, President Trump rolled back several executive orders from the Biden administration regarding LGBTQ+ equity and issued an executive order redefining sex as an immutable binary biological classification.
The draft was first introduced at the last Committee of the Whole meeting on June 23. On June 9, the Council passed a resolution reaffirming Bellingham’s status as a “welcoming city.”
A similar resolution was passed in 2017 in response to President Trump’s first term. Resolution No. 2017-10 affirmed the safety of all people living in Bellingham and reinforced police department policies of not inquiring about immigration status, conducting raids or detaining individuals for federal civil immigration law violations.
Councilmember Hannah Stone met with members of the community prior to the meeting to receive feedback on the ordinance. She assured the public that the Council will continue to review policies and systems with the LGBTQ+ community in mind, though it is difficult to legislate in anticipation of hypothetical future federal legislation.
“These are living documents that our community lives with, but they are subject to amendment and change at any time,” Stone said.
Ordinances need to pass three votes to become codified into law. The third and final vote is scheduled for the next city council Regular Meeting on July 21. Members of the city council encouraged the public to continue to give feedback on the drafts before the vote.
Stone expressed appreciation for members of the public who have come forward to share their personal experiences and opinions on the ordinance. Roughly 20 people made public comment in person or online, offering support for the ordinance, sharing their fears about Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” and their desire for specific language in the city’s law.
Many participants mentioned the city’s choice to define itself as a “welcoming city” instead of a “sanctuary city.” My Bellingham Now reported on the decision in June.
