Seattle Unanimously Passes Civil Rights Protections for Polyamorous and Non-Monogamous Relationships

The bill further updates definitions within the city’s civil rights framework by removing the binary “male or female” phrasing from the legal definition of sexual orientation. Additionally, it explicitly adds pansexuality, defined as attraction regardless of gender, and asexuality, defined as lacking sexual attraction while potentially experiencing romantic connections. 

Council Member Alexis Mercedes Rinck, the bill’s sponsor, noted before the vote that the law also covers blended and multigenerational families where more than two adults co-parent. She emphasized that the policy aims to reflect how people actually live, adding that every family is different, but every single one deserves equal protection under the law because chosen family is family. 

According to a September 9 report provided to the council’s Housing, Arts, and Civil Rights committee, about 5% of North Americans are currently in a consensual nonmonogamous relationship, and up to 20% report having been in one at some point in their lives. 

Seattle’s move aligns with similar measures passed in West Coast cities like Olympia, Portland, Oakland, and West Hollywood. These local policies contrast sharply with measures pushed by Republican lawmakers in several states, which seek to define gender strictly as male or female, restrict transgender athletes in school sports, or invalidate driver’s licenses that lack a person’s birth-assigned sex. In April, for instance, Tennessee lawmakers passed a resolution designating June as nuclear family month, calling a structure of one husband and one wife God’s design.

During public comments on Tuesday, local advocates shared personal experiences of hiding their nonmonogamous relationships to avoid public stigma and unfair treatment. Jessa Davis, co-chair of the Seattle LGBTQ Commission and executive director of the Organization for Polyamory and Ethical Non-Monogamy, addressed common misconceptions about the policy. She explained that people often dismiss these protections as flashy or clickbait-y, when in reality it is more about how family is today and having the latching up with how people really live their lives. 

The new bill builds on previous local and state measures, such as Washington allowing an “X” gender marker on birth certificates and driver’s licenses, as well as Seattle’s earlier mandate for all gender restrooms in city facilities. 

The chamber erupted in applause following the vote. Councilmember Dionne Foster noted that she knows people she loves and cares deeply about will be safer because of this legislation. Finally, the law officially takes effect on June 1.