Send Your Letter to the Editor
Letters to the Editor are still one of the most frequently read sections of newspapers. There are more than 90 news outlets in WA that still accept LTEs.
We’re here to help. Contact us for support.
Tips for a Good Letter to the Editor
Limit your letter to around 150 words. You can check the word limit on most newspaper’s websites and look for instructions on how to submit your letter to the editor. Find an LTE publisher near you here.
Explain your connection to this issue - either the Safety Act Repeal (IL26-001) or the Sports Ban (IL26-638), or both.
Include a fact or two.
Reference a recent news story.
TEMPLATE FOR A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
HOOK: Your first sentence should be short and reference a recent news article or event.
Example: An initiative (IL26-638) could require unnecessary genital exams on our daughters who want to play school sports (The Seattle Times). This is unacceptable.
MAKE IT PERSONAL: What is YOUR connection or why do YOU oppose the initiative(s)?
Example: As a school counselor, I know how essential it is for students from unsupportive homes, especially LGBTQ+ kids, to have a safe place to express themselves and access confidential support at school, but IL26-001 would change that.
EVIDENCE: Use facts and data points.
Example: Multiple studies have shown that forcefully outing LGBTQ+ youth to unsupportive parents leads to high rates of family rejection, depression, abuse, and homelessness. According to The Trevor Project, 40% of LGBTQ+ homeless youth were kicked out of their homes because of their identities. If IL26-001, the Safety Act Repeal, passes, we can only imagine how many more LGBTQ+ kids could be harmed.
CALL TO ACTION: Tell readers to Vote NO on IL26-001 and IL26-638. Direct them to NoHateinWA.org.
Example: We must protect every student from harm. Say NO to hate in Washington state by voting NO on IL26-001 and IL26-638 this November. Head to NoHateinWA.org to learn more.
What IL26-001 Does:
IL26-001 FORCES SCHOOLS TO OUT LGBTQ+ STUDENTS: IL26-001 puts vulnerable kids at a greater risk of physical and emotional abuse at home, and even homelessness, by forcing teachers and school counselors to “out” LGBTQ+ students to unsupportive families.
IL26-001 REMOVES PROTECTIONS FOR ABUSED CHILDREN: Current law protects students’ private records from being accessed by parents under criminal investigation or criminally charged for abusing their own child. IL26-001 removes these protections.
IL26-001 RESTRICTS STUDENTS’ ACCESS TO HELP: IL 26-001 could lead to the disclosure of counseling or other medical records that are currently protected by state and federal law. Students facing violence, sexual abuse, bullying, or depression would be less likely to seek help from trusted school counselors, who would be required to release students’ confidential information.
58% of Washington adolescents (grades 8-12) experience anxiety and/or depression and one in ten Washington state students say they have no one to turn to when feeling depressed.
56% of LGBTQ+ youth in WA ages 13-17 experienced bullying in the past year.
What IL26-638 Does:
Only a handful of trangender girls play after school sports in Washington, yet IL26-638 will rollback Washington’s successful sports policy in place since 2007 and institute a statewide blanket ban.
IL26-638 COULD FORCE INVASIVE GENITAL EXAMS ON GIRLS: Under IL26-638, girls who want to play on an after school team will need a medical certification of her sex; birth certificates would not be accepted as sufficient proof, and boys are exempt. Medical certification of a girl’s sex - defined in IL26-638 as a physical “reproductive organ” exam, or costly genetic or hormone testing - would be required for girls without long-term family doctors to certify their sex based on prior medical history.
The American Academy of Family Physicians says sports physicals should take place “not in a group setting.” But Black, brown, immigrant, low income and rural families who often face barriers to accessing family physicians, frequently depend on free large group sports physicals where girls could face greater embarrassment and harm from invasive genital inspections.
Physical exams of girls’ reproductive organs may require pelvic exams, which are not only medically unnecessary for sports, they can emotionally and physically harm young girls. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says there is no medical reason for a pelvic exam for girls younger than 21 unless the patient has other health concerns.
IL26-638 REPLACES WA’S SUCCESSFUL POLICY WITH A BLANKET BAN: It’s understandable to feel unsure about how schools can best include all of their students. Transgender girls in sports is a complex issue that requires case-by-case solutions, as currently allowed by Washington's successful policy in place since 2007. We should allow local districts and leagues to keep setting policies that are fair for their students. We shouldn’t outlaw the possibility of making decisions case-by-case.