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Olympia council refers ordinance to add 'family and relationship structure' as a protected category
Summary
The council voted Jan. 13 to refer model legislation so staff can draft an ordinance adding 'family and relationship structure' to protected categories in city code, aiming to provide recourse for those facing discrimination based on household or relationship composition.
The Olympia City Council voted Tuesday to refer model legislation for drafting that would add “family and relationship structure” as a protected class in city code.
Councilmember Vanderpool, sponsor of the referral, said the proposed protection would cover a range of household types — single‑parent, multigenerational, blended, chosen families and consensual nonmonogamous households including polyamory — and would add that category “wherever protected groups are articulated” in city rules governing housing, public services and civil rights.
Mayor Pro Tem Potem Nguyen and other sponsors said the referral is intended to give people an enforceable remedy if they face discrimination in housing or services because of their family composition. “It's not about taking anything away. It's about allowing more folks to have protections,” Mayor Dante Payne said.
Council discussion touched on scope and legal defensibility: Councilmember Green said she supported the referral but urged careful vetting rather than a wholesale copy‑paste of another city's ordinance. Vanderpool said staff and the city attorney will review the model language and public comment will inform final drafting.
The motion — to direct staff to prepare ordinance language informed by model legislation, legal review and public comment — passed by voice vote. Staff said they expect a draft to return to council within weeks for review and possible introduction.
