Community Resources

Seattle and King County have many community-based organizations that work to support LGBTQ+ youth, families, and community members. Our office most often directs folks to:

• UTOPIA Washington: Provides regular programming, basic needs support, free healthcare, legal and immigration support, and youth leadership opportunities for the LGBTQIA2S+ community, with cultural opportunities for LGBTQIA2S+ Pacific Islanders.
• Gay City (Seattle’s LGBTQ+ Center): Provides health services, community programs, LGBTQ+ youth groups, arts education, and more.
• TransFamilies: Provides support groups and information for transgender and gender-expansive youth and families.
• Lavender Rights Project: Advocacy and support for the Black trans community.

Mental Health Support

If you are a young LGBTQ+ person and you are struggling, you are not alone, and help is available. Please tell a trusted adult if you are dealing with depression, anxiety, or thoughts about suicide. You are also encouraged to use these resources if you need help right away.

• Trevor Project: Chat with a trained counselor 24/7 via text or call. Text START to 678-678 to begin. This service is specifically for LGBTQ+ young people.
• Trans Lifeline: Crisis line run by and for trans people. Call 1(877)565-8860.
• Teen Link: Run for teens, by teens.
• 988: Dial 988 to reach the suicide and crisis line.

If you are a family looking for an LGBTQ-affirming therapist, you might try Protea Wellness or explore Lambert House’s list of mental health resources.

Please note that all community resource lists are for reference only. While we hope you have a wonderful experience with these organizations, Seattle Public Schools is not liable for the quality of care you may receive.

Join our Rainbow Families Mailing List to receive updates about our annual LGBTQ+ Families Dinner, a fun and inclusive community event that will soon enter its 25th year! We also occasionally call on our parents/caregivers to participate in panel discussions or focus groups.

We provide parent education nights on supporting LGBTQ+ youth, at the invitation of school PTSAs. These education nights are geared toward the whole parent community, not just the parents of LGBTQ+ youth. Ask your PTSA to contact our office about bringing this to your school.

We happily work to support LGBTQ+ families navigating our school system. We warmly welcome our families who are seeking welcoming school environments in a state with laws that support trans youth and families.

Please contact Sam Cristol secristol@3588612.com to connect!

We are proud to have Gender-Sexuality Alliances in all our comprehensive high schools and most middle schools. We also have a growing number of Rainbow Clubs in our elementary schools. UTOPIA Washington also offers their MANA Youth Program at Chief Sealth and Cleveland High Schools.

These groups are meant to provide safe, affirming spaces for LGBTQ+ youth and their allies.

To find out if your school offers an affinity group for LGBTQ+ youth, contact Sam Cristol secristol@3588612.com.

Students who have gone through the court process of a legal name change can have their legal name changed in SPS databases via Enrollment Services. Families can:

• Send an email request, along with an updated birth certificate OR court order for legal name change to admissions@3588612.com.
• In lieu of an updated birth certificate or court order, families can fill out the SPS Affidavit for Legal Name Change and email it to admissions@3588612.com.

Students who have not had a legal name change, but use a different name at school, can add a preferred name to their student record. This is a field that lives alongside the student’s legal name and is simply marked “name.” Gender markers can also be changed (M, F, or X) in a student’s school record without a legal gender change. Contact your school’s main office to connect with the registrar, who can make these changes for you.

When a student adds a preferred name, but has not changed their legal name, their legal name may still appear on some official documents.

In Seattle Public Schools, school staff are directed to use the name and pronouns a student tells us they use, regardless of what it says in official databases. This practice is shown to drastically improve the mental health of trans and gender-expansive youth.