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LGBTQ+ Resources

The University of Washington supports a culture of inclusion and has provided protections from discrimination and harassment for individuals based on their sexual orientation long before such rights were recognized by federal or state law.

State and federal law

In 2006, Chapter 49.60 RCW, the Washington Law Against Discrimination, was amended to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. “Sexual orientation” is defined to include “heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, and gender expression or identity.” The term “gender expression or identity” is in turn defined as “having or being perceived as having a gender identity, self-image, appearance, behavior, or expression, whether or not that gender identity, self-image, appearance, behavior, or expression is different from that traditionally associated with the sex assigned to that person at birth.”

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities that receive federal funding. Federal agencies have interpreted federal laws, such as Title IX, to provide protections for individuals based on their LGBTQ status that have not, to date, been clearly identified in those federal laws.

Information

Gender-neutral restroom guidance and locations.

Transgender resources for employees.

Changing your preferred name for students.

Update your gender identity in UW systems for students.

University resources

Q Faculty, Staff & Allies Association (QFS) is an association whose vision is to foster a campus climate where all Q Faculty, Staff, and Allies are valued and respected, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Q Center is the professionally-supported resource, advocacy, and mentoring center for queer students located on the UW-Seattle campus.

LGBTQ+ Student Network provides support, community, information, and events at UW-Bothell.

LGBTQ+ Resources available for students and staff on the UW-Tacoma campus