March 31 is Transgender Day of Visibility: a day to celebrate the lives and contributions of trans people while also raising awareness for the disproportionate risks of prejudice, poverty, and violence their community faces. In a year of unprecedented anti-trans legislation in our country and state, the Market Foundation wants to vocally affirm trans people in our neighborhood and defend their right to live safe, healthy lives.
In the first three months of 2023 alone, 493 discriminatory anti LGBTQ bills have been introduced in legislatures across 47 states (3 in Washington state), in an attempt to restrict the trans community’s access to healthcare, education, housing, and public accommodations.
At Pike Place Market, The Market Foundation works to combat these disparities through our healthy community model, improving access to social determinants of health (factors like food, education, economic stability, physical environment, community context, and healthcare). Together with our service partners, we are working to remove barriers to these social determinants so that everyone in our community can live their best lives.
Two of our legacy partners, Neighborcare Health and Pike Market Child Care and Preschool, specifically have a history of developing services for the trans community, through their work in gender-affirming medical care and supportive learning environments.
Our legacy partner Neighborcare Health provides comprehensive gender-affirming care to trans and gender non-conforming patients in the Seattle area. Neighborcare clinics also provide access to behavioral and mental health care teams with experience supporting trans and non binary patients, as well as social services and information about community resources.
The Pike Market Child Care and Preschool has centered gay and trans parents since they first opened in 1982, and continually works to provide an inclusive high-quality learning environment for young students. Since 1991, the preschool’s teachers have participated in anti-bias training, and gender equity is a key component of their early learning model.
Thank you to Neighborcare and Pike Market Preschool for working to provide informed, equitable care to our neighbors. Together with our service partners, we are committed to protecting the health, safety, and economic stability of our trans and gender-nonconforming neighbors at Pike Place Market.
To learn more about Trans Day of Visibility and what you can do to help support the community:
- Educate yourself about the trans community and the ongoing threats to their livelihoods.
- Learn more about how to be a better ally to the trans people in your life.
- Listen to this oral history from Marsha Botzer, as she reflects on the history of trans activism in Seattle.
- Help counter mounting anti-trans rhetoric by calling out transphobic misinformation, and defending the voices of trans activists.
- Call on Washington state lawmakers to oppose harmful legislation like HB 1214 that would criminalize the existence of trans youth, and instead support bills like HB 1469 that protect reproductive and gender-affirming health care.
- Help uplift and empower trans people in your community to live authentic, safe, and healthy lives!