Washington Families for Freedom Statement on Violence

“Washington Families for Freedom has condemned and will continue to condemn violence against people exercising their first amendment right to gather petition signatures. These attacks harm our communities and go against everything that our campaign stands for. The baseless insinuation from Brian Heywood that we have anything to do with these violent acts is offensive. Organizations within our coalition, like Gender Justice League, have provided support services to victims of violence and assault for over a decade. Trans people sadly know all too well about violence in our state and have also experienced a major increase in hate crimes and attacks.

To be clear, decline to sign campaigns that seek to educate voters, but do not interfere with the signature gathering process, are also constitutionally protected free speech, and frequently run against ballot initiatives. While our campaign has not yet begun any in-person decline to sign effort to educate the public about the harm these measures pose, we will do so in a way that does not interfere with the signature gathering process and respects the rights of all Washingtonians to engage in the political process.” – Danni Askini, Co-Chair of Washington Families for Freedom & Executive Director, Gender Justice League

Washington Families for Freedom is a coalition of parents, teachers, businesses, LGBTQ+ and community groups standing up against attacks on students’ rights to freedom and privacy. The coalition includes the ACLU of Washington, Greater Seattle Business Association, Gender Justice League, Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, Pro-Choice Washington, Washington Education Association, SEIU 775, and UFCW 3000, among many others.