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At the end of May, the Seattle LGBTQ+ Commission sent a letter to their mayor asking the city to declare a civil state of emergency in response to the growing number of transgender people and their families fleeing states with escalating anti-trans laws. Families are leaving homes, schools, jobs, churches, and entire support systems behind because remaining where they are no longer feels safe. A study from the Movement Advancement Project and the University of Chicago found that at least 400,000 transgender and gender nonconforming people have moved to another state since November 2024 because of anti-LGBTQ laws or political conditions. For years, many parents of trans kids have been sounding the alarm — telling stories of banned healthcare, hostile school policies, criminalization, fear, isolation, and the exhausting reality of fighting for your child’s right to exist openly and safely. What once felt unthinkable is now shaping where families can live, where children can go to school, and whether parents feel they can protect their kids at all. Today In the Den we talk about what it means when LGBTQ+ people become refugees within their own country. What happens to families forced to relocate in search of safety? What responsibilities do affirming cities and states have to those arriving in crisis? And what does it mean for the rest of us witnessing this moment unfold in real time?

Special Guest: Chris Curia

Chris Curia is Co-Chair of the Seattle LGBTQ Commission, an advisory board that provides guidance and recommendations to City leaders on issues affecting LGBTQ+ communities. Additionally, Chris supervises Crisis Care Responder teams as part of Seattle’s Community Assisted Response & Engagement (CARE) Department, the City’s third branch of public safety that delivers alternative first response to 911 calls with a mental health nexus. Chris brings years of clinical training and experience as a licensed mental health counselor to these roles, along with a passion for exploring innovative opportunities to prioritize mental healthcare equity and community-centered care for all Seattleites.

Special Guest: Jessa Davis

Jessa Davis (she/her) is Co-Chair of the Seattle LGBTQ Commission and Chair of its Community Outreach & Social Media Committee. She also serves as Board Secretary for Queer Power Alliance (QPA), where she chairs the Advocacy Committee, and as Board Secretary for Whole Washington. In these roles, she helps align community-driven advocacy with broader structural change efforts including in her work as Executive Director of the Organization for Polyamory and Ethical Non-Monogamy (OPEN), which is a role she recently took on after founding and leading the Seattle Coalition for Family & Relationship Equity (SCFRE).

Links from the Show:

• Seattle LGBTQ+ Commission 
• Jessa’s IG
• Jessa’s Website
• Study from Movement Advancement Project
• Join Mama Dragons

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