On a Friday night during Seattle Pride weekend, I was fortunate enough to attend the annual Pride fundraiser for the Washington State Democrats. Originally planned for a downtown Seattle rooftop, the event was moved indoors to the WA Dems office due to weather.
It was also a great opportunity to catch up with some of my favorite Washington State leaders, including State Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen (D-43), State Senator Claire Wilson (D-30), State Senator Marko Liias (D-21), Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove, Attorney General Nick Brown, and Pennsylvania State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta—one of the rising stars of the Democratic National Committee. The evening was hosted by DNC co-chair and Seattle resident, Shasti Conrad. Up and comer and Trans advocate, Leinomi Preciado also spoke. Both Shasti and Leinomi are both referred to in the speeches.
I managed to record all the speeches—and here are the transcripts from each.
Nick Brown (WA Attorney General)
I don’t want to be an alarmist, but I do believe we’re in a true crisis in America.
The most powerful are deliberately targeting the most vulnerable—through executive orders and through legislation cloaked in “big, beautiful” language that, frankly, is just bullshit. These efforts are about protecting tax cuts for the wealthy at the expense of everyone else. That’s where their energy is focused.
It’s telling that the only laws they’re pushing protect the rich. Meanwhile, this president has used executive power more aggressively than any other in history, which has prompted 23 lawsuits from Washington State alone—and over 30 from Democratic AGs nationwide.
At his core, this president is a fundamentally weak person. If you have good ideas, you can build coalitions. You can go to Congress, go to the states, and rely on the strength of your ideas. But this president can’t do that—so he turns to executive orders to erode rights.
But here’s the good news—two things.
One: Not a single law has changed in Washington State. We’ve been leading the charge in defending the LGBTQ+ community for decades, and nothing the president has done has changed our laws. Not one thing the legislature passed, the governor signed, or the people fought for has been undone. We should be proud of where we are as a state.
Two: When Democratic AGs bring cases—we win. Over and over again, we win. It’s going to get harder as cases move up to the circuit courts and ultimately the Supreme Court, but we can’t back down. We can’t capitulate. We can’t look away from the injustices this administration is creating.
I’m proud to have led the case defending the rights of transgender people here in Washington and across this country. I talk with my Democratic colleagues far more often than I’d like (I love them, but still!)—multiple times a week, we strategize and file cases together.
Let me be clear: very few states joined us in the case to defend transgender healthcare for minors. I understand every AG has different priorities, and politics differ from state to state. But I am proud—so proud—of Washington’s leadership.
That happened because the incredible team at the AG’s office was ready. They did the work, the advocacy, they knew the law—and we were ready for that moment.
But we couldn’t have done that case without the bravery of patients, their families, and healthcare providers here in Washington. Some of them are here today. They put their own skin in the game—to protect their kids, their rights, and their practices.
Our cases succeed because we tell the stories of the people we represent. We highlight their humanity. That’s why we brought that case. That’s why we won. And that’s why we will not stop defending your rights, your freedoms, and your dignity.
Thank you for making me your Attorney General.
Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen (D-43)
On Pride, I want us to hold that split screen in our minds—not only the things we have to worry about, but also the things we have to celebrate. We have generations of legislators, generations of people and activists, who have built a strong bubble of protection for us to live in here.
I’m really proud—along with my Senate colleagues, Senator Liias and Senator Wilson—to have helped create some of that. Marko and I were there through the fights for domestic partnerships, marriage equality, a strong trans-inclusive civil rights bill, anti-discrimination protections, hate crimes protections, and anti-bullying laws.
When we took the majority, one of the first things we did was work on parentage law. I chaired the drafting committee for the Uniform Law Commission that rewrote the Parentage Act to make it inclusive for LGBTQ families. Because of that, in states where it’s enacted—and we were the first state to do so—families now have more options to protect themselves.
For example, a lesbian couple no longer has to go through a home study or a second-parent adoption. They can literally fill out a one-page form, and the non-biological mom can be legally recognized as a parent. Even better, every state that adopts the new Uniform Parentage Act provides for automatic interstate recognition of those acknowledgments of parentage.
And today, for some good news: Oregon just became the 11th state to pass the Uniform Parentage Act! They join Hawaii and Illinois, who also passed it this year. So now, the whole West Coast is in good shape.
Of course, we still have a lot of work to do. I’ve been in that slog for a long time—working to get the Parentage Act enacted across the country. But every time I come back from those efforts, I feel the warm embrace of this community.
I was talking to Fox today, ironically, for a story about the 10th anniversary of marriage equality, and I was reflecting on how the best part of that entire struggle came at the end—when Referendum 74 passed. I still remember that commercial during the campaign: a man going door-to-door asking people for permission to marry his fiancé. It really captured what it feels like to have your basic rights depend on public opinion.
And the incredible, affirming moment was that when our rights were put on the ballot, the people of our state said yes.
So, despite the current chaos and confusion, I have supreme confidence that the people of this state still have our backs. I hope that brings you some peace and comfort—and then let’s get back to the fight.
Sen. Marko Liias (D-21)
It’s about the shoulders we stand on—and the shoulders we must offer to lift up the next generation.
In my mind and in my work, I’ve always been inspired by our LGBTQ trailblazer in Washington State, Cal Anderson, who was Jamie’s predecessor. Unfortunately, Cal’s been gone so long that while we see his name on the park, not everyone knows his story.
Cal Anderson was Washington’s first openly LGBTQ elected official—almost 40 years ago—elected to the state legislature. The exciting part is that the seat he held has been held by someone from our community ever since.
Cal’s story inspires me because, first of all, he was a decorated veteran who served our country during the Vietnam era. He helped prosecute war crimes related to the My Lai massacre and took part in that effort.
Like Harvey Milk and so many in our community who stood up, Cal represented the best of his generation—helping change hearts and minds through his service and dedication. The reason we don’t have him with us today is a painful reminder of the AIDS crisis. We lost Cal—like thousands of Washingtonians—to that terrible disease.
His story inspires my ongoing work to end HIV and AIDS in Washington once and for all. When we talk about the progress we’ve made, it’s important to remember: I didn’t get to know Cal personally—he passed away before I could meet him. But I’ve heard the stories. Stories like legislators getting off the elevator rather than ride with Cal—because of who he was and what they thought he represented.
That makes me even more proud to tell you that this year, we passed another bill expanding access to HIV medication. And guess what? It passed our legislature unanimously. Things are shifting—and we’re making that progress step by step.
And while we honor the shoulders we stand on, we must also lift up the next generation. Amazing leaders like Leinomi (Pictured with Liias} and others are going to push us toward the next frontier of equality in this state.
One leader who inspires me deeply is our caucus chair, Bob Hasegawa. He invited us all to choose a hero to put on our caucus wall—so when we’re making tough decisions, we each have a North Star to look toward.
For me, the answer came instantly. I put up a photo of my hero, Stella Keating.
Yes—Stella was the first transgender youth in American history to testify before Congress. She testified in support of the Equality Act. She’s now a student at Western Washington University—and she once served as my Senate page.
Now, it might seem odd because she lived in Pierce County—so why page for a senator from Snohomish County? Because her senator at the time was a hateful bigot who opposed our community. Her parents wouldn’t let her page for someone who denied her right to exist. So she came to me.
We lifted each other up on that journey. And her strength and voice remind me where we’re headed.
And that brings me to where I’ll leave us today. Shasti—there’s still one more mission for our party. Washington has never elected a transgender member to the state legislature. That’s right—our work is not done.
And by the way—other states have. Montana has two amazing trans legislators, including Zooey Zephyr, who was educated right here at the University of Washington. And they’ve got her back in Montana. We deserve that representation here.
Let me tell you why it matters. If I’m honest, one of the biggest reasons marriage equality passed in our legislature was because of Jamie’s kids. I remember sitting in caucus, and we could hear them—screaming their lungs out in the room next door. And the fact that Jamie, Dave, Jim Moeller, and others gave our community a face, a name, a story, a life—it changed minds. It helped colleagues—Democrats and Republicans—understand why our stories matter.
That’s what representation does.
It’s not about checking a box. It’s about putting the people of our state into the conversation. Into the story.
It will be a lot harder for Republicans to keep being hateful when they have to look at Naomi’s beautiful face on the House or Senate floor.
So this Pride, while the they/thems and the queers go celebrate, I want you to start planning. It’s time to get us our first.
Sen. Claire Wilson (D-30)
We’ve come a long way—but we still have a long way to go.
I was one of those folks who had to go through a home study just to adopt my own children. I will say that King County has always been a step ahead—they used “Parent 1” and “Parent 2” on adoption papers. They never identified gender, and that matters.
But still, those are things we should never have to deal with.
I came out when I was 19. And I’m way older than that now. Back then, I didn’t know anyone I could look up to. There was no one visible. No one to guide me.
Teachers with Pride still had to hide. People marched in the Pride Parade the year I graduated from high school with paper bags over their heads—eyes cut out—because they were terrified of being identified.
I taught in Tacoma, but I lived in Seattle—for a very good reason. Who I was in Tacoma was not who I was in Seattle. I went home to be myself, and I went to school to be somebody else. That should never, ever, ever be the case.
It just shouldn’t.
I served on the school board for eight years. I never led with my sexuality, but if you knew me, you knew what I stood for. You knew what I cared about. And I always stood up for all children—not just some children.
It wasn’t until I got to the state legislature that I led with my sexuality. Because at that point, it was critically important. Representation matters. Voice matters. And frankly—I was finally old enough not to give a shit.
My kids were old enough to know who they were. They were comfortable in their own skin. And I was comfortable in mine. I didn’t have to worry anymore about what might happen to them because of who I am or what I say.
But that’s not the case for everyone—and it’s something we’re still battling every single day. In fact, I’d argue we’ve moved backwards in some ways.
My focus has always been—and always will be—on young people: youth development, youth leadership. Because it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from—you can lead from anywhere. All you need is access, opportunity, a voice, and a door that opens for you.
That’s the world I’ve tried to create in the Senate. And yes, I beat a guy named Mark Miloscia. If you’re clapping, you know why. If you don’t know who he is—well, maybe you don’t come out much.
He was someone who had no interest in representing anyone who didn’t share his exact ideology. And it only got worse over the years.
When I first walked into the Senate, Senator Liias handed me a folder and said, “This might be good for you.” And that was the beginning of our statewide LGBTQ+ Commission—something I’m incredibly proud of.
We are now the largest commission in the state. We were the first gubernatorially appointed LGBTQ+ commission in the country. And we have 15 commissioners representing communities from across Washington.
I also dropped a little bill called Comprehensive Sexual Health Education. Because it matters. When young people are trying to figure out who they are—when they identify as nonbinary or fall somewhere else along the continuum—it is unjust for them to grow up never seeing themselves reflected in the world around them. Not hearing, not asking, not learning—that is unjust.
And consent? That’s a huge issue for me too. And yes, it’s connected.
This session, you may have heard about the so-called “parental rights” debate. I’m going to bring it back to our young people—especially those struggling with HIV, AIDS, housing, bullying, identity—who face heartbreaking challenges every day just trying to be their whole selves.
We passed the Parental Rights Response Bill. It was one of the toughest battles we’ve had in years. It did so much harm to so many people. And if you know any members of the House who supported this—it was hell for them. They had to sit through hours of rhetoric and horrendous statements.
But we fought for our youth.
Let me be clear: We didn’t take anything away. That bill added 11 parental rights. It also included protections for teachers, staff, and—most importantly—students. It added a complaint process so that anyone can report when a school or school board is blatantly violating state law. And we’re tracking that. We’re monitoring it. Because that’s how we create safe schools and safe communities.
We’re seeing families fleeing states like Texas—terrified for their children. I met with families of trans kids in elementary school who are afraid to speak out. They fear their medications will be tracked—their school records, even where they live. They’re afraid that something awful might happen just because they’re trying to keep their children safe.
That fear is real.
And one last thing—because I always say this: we must address intersectionality. Especially in our trans community, race is at the root of everything. It’s the foundation. And everything else gets layered on top of that.
So as we fight for our trans siblings—especially Black and Brown trans women—we have to stand up, speak out, and protect them. Because right now, they can’t always protect themselves. Right now, they’re in survival mode. And they will be for a long time.
So I’ve said way more than I meant to—but I care deeply. I care about our youth. I care about our elders—many of whom are still afraid to be their full selves.
Thank you for being here. Thank you for being you. Thank you for knocking on doors and telling people: We are just like everyone else. And we’re not going anywhere.
Dave Upthegrove (WA Commissioner of Public Lands)
Tonight, we celebrate the gays. The theys. The thems and the femmes.
And everyone whose truth has ever been questioned, challenged, or denied—and who continues to live that truth out loud. Love you.
A lot of you know this, but I came out of the closet the year I first ran for office. And my mother, at the time, said, “I love you, Dave, but it’s too bad—because now you can’t run for office.”
This was 25 years ago. The thought of an out gay legislator deep in the working-class suburbs of South King County? Unheard of.
But I ran. I won. And I made history as the first out LGBTQ legislator from South King County in the history of our state.
I share this because what drove me then still drives me today: a passion for justice—LGBTQ+ equality, racial equality, gender equality, fighting for tribal treaty rights and labor rights.
I’m the son of a father with disabilities. The brother of someone who’s overcome addiction and, sadly, involvement in the criminal justice system. So this commitment to justice and dignity is personal. And I know it’s personal for all of us.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously said—and President Obama echoed—that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
We all know that line. And it’s been my experience.
When I started in the Legislature, you could still legally be fired from your job in Washington State just for being gay or lesbian.
LGBT families had no legal recognition. But guess what? Democrats changed that.
We passed anti-discrimination laws. We secured domestic partnership benefits. And in 2012, the voters of this state—as Majority Leader Pedersen mentioned—affirmed marriage equality for everyone.
And most importantly, that meant that the following year, I got to marry my husband—the love of my life.
Now, I have the incredible honor of serving as your State Commissioner of Public Lands—the first out LGBTQ+ statewide executive in Washington—and leading 2,200 fabulous employees at the Department of Natural Resources.
Despite all the progress we’re celebrating, we know there’s more work to do.
We see transgender youth being targeted.
We see Republicans using them as political punching bags. And that comes at a cost.
The most recent national data shows that 41% of LGBTQ+ youth in Washington State seriously considered suicide in the past year.
Among transgender and nonbinary youth, that number jumps to 49%.
Think about that. Half of our trans and nonbinary youth.
That’s not acceptable. That’s not “family values.” That’s a crisis.
That’s why supporting Democrats matters.
Because if the only voices young people hear are messages of hate and fear being spewed by Republicans—even when they try to wrap it in the language of “faith” and “family”—then silence isn’t neutral.
Silence is harmful.
Young people need to see themselves reflected in their leaders—in political leadership, in business, and in their communities. And those of us in positions of power and privilege need to be visible, and we need to lift others up.
That’s why I’m excited to be here with—what’s his name again?—Majority Leader Pedersen. And Senators Liias and Wilson. Their leadership is the kind of courage and commitment we need at every level of government.
As we look back on our progress, and forward to the challenges ahead, it’s more important than ever for Democrats to embrace a simple value:
All people have value.
Our differences are not weaknesses—they are strengths.
We are a nation of laws, not of kings.
And everyone deserves equal rights, fair treatment, and a fair shot.
That’s why we’re here. That’s why we’re Democrats.
And that’s what Pride is about.
So let’s raise our voices in love.
Let’s raise our fists in justice.
And let’s raise each other up—because this Democratic Party doesn’t leave anyone behind.
We’re here. We’re proud. And we’re not done.
PA State Rep. Macolm Kenyetta (D181):
I’m starting to feel like someone’s going to say something from up in the rafters—well, I am saying something! Let me say this: if we had more of Washington State’s values in Washington, D.C., we might just be all right. Yeah! We might just be all right.
Thank you. First, I want to start with the most important phrase in every language: Thank you.
You’re welcome—and thank you for setting a marker.
My husband is from California, and if he were here, he’d be yelling, “West Coast, best coast!”… in Colorado. (I’m still trying to get that out of him, but old habits die hard.) He’s not letting it go.
I’m just really grateful to be here. And I’ve been reflecting on everything folks have said tonight—from Leinomi on through every single speaker—because we are standing at a crossroads between great peril and unlimited possibility.
Now, the peril? It’s obvious—and it’s becoming more obvious every single day.
Your Attorney General spoke about it. Your incredible elected officials have alluded to it. Because—and this won’t shock anyone in this room—there are people in elected office right now who didn’t go there to make life better for a single person. They literally went into public service to make life worse for people.
And you think about that—because anyone who’s ever run for office, win or lose, knows what it takes. I can’t imagine waking up every day, doing all that work, only to spend your time making people’s lives more miserable.
But that’s what we’re seeing in the highest office in the land.
As your Commissioner said, this guy doesn’t have good ideas. His only ideas are how to make life worse for people who are just trying to live with dignity and decency—rights and freedoms not given by the government, but imbued in us by our Creator. And we have a responsibility to ensure the government doesn’t strip them away.
The government isn’t giving us anything—we are working and organizing to get the government the hell out of our lives and out of our business.
And I’m really grateful, listening to every person who’s spoken today, because I’ve been saying these same things while traveling across this country—including to Democrats Abroad.
And here’s what I’ve realized: the bad news is also the good news.
Let me explain.
We’re at a moment of terrifying challenges—but also incredible opportunity.
When I was at the DNC last year, I had the opportunity to speak at the convention. I told a story about my grandmother—who was on the front lines of the civil rights movement, alongside my grandfather. They did it all.
I remember when she called me the last time this [expletive] was in the White House. I don’t even remember what specifically he had done that day—but my grandmother is tough. She raised my dad. That’s all you need to know.
I had never seen her broken down. But that day, I could tell—she had been crying.
She said, “I was watching you on PCN.”
I said, “Why the hell are you watching PCN?” (That’s our government channel.) But hey, she was in her 70s and, as she liked to remind me, she could do what the hell she wanted.
And she said to me, “Baby, I’m sorry. I’m just so sorry. Me and your grandfather—we did all this work. And I thought we fixed some of this. But here you are, talking about the exact same things we fought for all those years ago.”
And I told her what I’m going to tell you:
It’s just our turn.
As I think about the stories of Pride—people walking around with paper bags over their heads—or as Leinomi reminded us, of the many marches that brought us here, the rights people now take for granted, the rights people now want to take away—we are no better or worse than those who came before us.
It’s just our turn to step up.
America is great. But the job of each generation is to make sure that greatness is felt by everyone. That it’s not just written on an old document in Philadelphia, but lived out in our laws and our daily lives.
Every generation has had to do this work.
We lie to ourselves if we think there was ever a generation that got to kick up their feet and coast. Bigots and authoritarians don’t hibernate like cicadas. They are always around.
So yes—it’s okay to be afraid. I’m afraid. But what matters is what we do with that fear.
You can pull the covers over your head, or you can do what you’ve always done—get up, show up, and push this country forward.
And let’s be honest: these bigots aren’t creative. They recycle the same tactics every time—target a vulnerable group, take control of the courts, revise history, suppress the vote. We’ve seen it before.
But here’s our challenge—we must not only reject their historical revisionism; we must also stop flattening our own history.
The gay rights movement didn’t begin and end with one night at Stonewall. The civil rights movement wasn’t just one bus, one speech. The women’s suffrage movement didn’t start and end with one woman named Susan B. Anthony.
Even John Lewis—when we remember his march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge—we must remember he was not alone. He was one of 600.
And if we reduce our movements to a single person or moment, we disempower ourselves from believing we are the ones to carry the torch now.
I’m tired of hearing, “Who’s the next great Democratic leader?” There’s not just one leader. There never was. Movements are built by the people who organize in basements, in bars, in barns—people who show up.
We don’t march because we’re sure of the outcome. We march because we know what’s worth fighting for.
And when you know what’s worth fighting for, you don’t worry about who gets the credit.
Every movement is made up of regular people who decided that this country is big enough and bold enough for everyone to live as their full, authentic selves—not just be tolerated, but celebrated.
So I thank you—for not hiding your light, for not staying home, for standing up again in this moment.
We will outlast this administration. (Honestly, I thought the constant McDonald’s would’ve taken him out already.)
But we will outlast him.
Our job is not to focus on how bad he is. Our job is to stay focused on why we must keep marching across the bridge.
People ask me all the time, “Malcolm, what’s the Democrats’ message?”
It’s simple:
Make. Life. Better.
That’s it. That’s the brand. That’s the mission.
Every elected official you’ve heard tonight—what have they done? They’ve made life better for the people of Washington State.
And as Democrats, we need to do that all across this country.
I’m not a Democrat because I hate Republicans. I’m a Democrat because I love people. And I’m against anyone who wants to make life worse for them.
Because they want to strip healthcare from 14 million people.
Because they want to raise the cost of living on folks barely scraping by.
Because they want to slam the door on immigrants, on opportunity, on progress.
And I’ll end with this:
People ask why I got into politics. My answer is simple: I was poor. And I was pissed off about it.
That’s it.
I had healthcare because Democrats fought for CHIP. My family had a roof over our heads because Democrats built HUD. We survived hard times because Democrats fought for a social safety net.
So no—I will not apologize for being a Democrat. I will not apologize for believing in a government that works for everyone. And I’m not waiting for anyone to come save us.
We’re going to save ourselves.
We are going to stand up to the bigots, the bullies, the would-be kings—and we are going to write the next chapter of this great American story.
Thank you. God bless you.
Let’s get to work.
