Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed into law a bill requiring LGBTQ education in the state’s public schools.
Senate Bill 5462 requires Washington schools to incorporate Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender-Queer history and perspectives into their curriculum. The bill was introduced in January of 2023 by Sen. Marko Liias, an Edmonds Democrat, under the banner of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Under the new law, the Washington State School Directors’ Association is mandated to review and update a model policy by June 1, 2025. By Sept. 1, 2025, the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is required to produce and distribute a schedule for the revision of state learning standards, ensuring the integration of LGBTQ history into the educational framework.
“The model policy and procedure must require that school district boards of directors, within available materials, adopt inclusive curricula and select diverse, equitable, inclusive, age-appropriate instructional materials that include the histories, contributions, and perspectives of historically marginalized and underrepresented groups including, but not limited to, people from various racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds, people with differing learning needs, people with disabilities, LGBTQ people as the term is defined in RCW 43.114.010, and people with various socioeconomic and immigration backgrounds,” the bill states.
Advocates of the bill argue that it will promote understanding, empathy, and acceptance among students, fostering a more inclusive school environment.
Critics say it is advanced grooming that is being infused into school curricula, in defiance of parents and families’ religious beliefs.
The new law is sure to have repercussions. Already, Washington parents are moving children to private schools. Stanford University economist Thomas Dee found that the number of Washington students enrolled in private school increased 26% between the 2019-20 and the 2022-23 school years.
