Residents urge Renton City Council to adopt LGBTQ sanctuary resolution

Dozens of Renton residents used the public-comment period at the April 7 City Council meeting to press the council to develop and adopt a formal resolution declaring Renton a sanctuary or otherwise affirming protections for LGBTQ+ residents.

Speakers emphasized that recent national policy efforts and local incidents make city-level assurances and concrete protections especially urgent. "Young people are the canary in the coal mine," said Bailey Madillo, who identified herself as representing The Washington Bus. "This issue matters, and it needs to be dealt with urgently, respectfully, and with all of the capacity that it demands and respects."

The appeals were wide-ranging: Adam Hone, a Renton resident, said a resolution would signal the city is a safe place where people can be role models for others. Monica Mendoza Coffin, who identified herself as a legal professional and community advocate, urged the council to adopt a resolution rather than a proclamation, saying it would send a stronger message of protection. James Webster, chair of Pride Across the Bridge, asked that any final text reflect "the lived experience of Renton's LGBTQIA+ residents" and include input from grassroots community groups.

Several speakers cited national policy trends and actions they said threaten queer and trans people. Gabriel Jones referenced "Project 2025," calling it an administration-aligned policy agenda that he said seeks to remove sexual orientation and gender identity references from federal regulations and programs; he and others argued that city-level commitments can help offset federal rollbacks. Other attendees pointed to local hate incidents — vandalism of LGBTQ art and vandalized church property cited by Winter Cashman and Jazz Moissonette — as reasons the city should adopt explicit protections.

Student speakers also spoke in favor. Alexis Tran, a high-school junior, and Odessa Vale, a student who said she was speaking on behalf of LGBTQ students, urged the council to adopt protections that would make schools and classrooms safer, including training for educators to address harassment.

Speakers repeatedly distinguished symbolic proclamations from legally actionable protections. "Inclusion and protection are not the same. A proclamation is not legal protection," Jazz Moissonette said, asking the council to review existing city code and consider where local ordinances could be strengthened.

No formal vote or ordinance on an LGBTQ sanctuary or protections resolution occurred during the meeting. Several speakers asked the council to involve community organizations in drafting any final language; one speaker noted city staff were taking notes during testimony. Council members thanked commenters and acknowledged receipt of the materials and testimony but did not announce a timeline or specific next steps for drafting or introducing a resolution.

The public-comment period lasted most of the evening and included a broad cross section of residents — longtime Renton residents, organizers, students, and representatives of statewide groups — all urging formal city action to affirm and protect LGBTQ+ residents.