WA city's ‘Trans Visibility’ proclamation creates online firestorm

A suburban Seattle city is at the center of a social media firestorm after leaders rolled out a Transgender Day of Visibility proclamation, and one city council member showed up wearing a shirt attacking President Donald Trump. The proclamation highlights what it calls the “inherent worth” of transgender people, while warning of discrimination and political efforts that impact the community. It also calls on residents to ensure transgender people feel “seen, valued, and welcomed.”

City Council member Amanda Dodd appeared at the signing wearing a shirt that read, “Immigrants are not criminals, but the President is.”

The city celebrated the proclamation in a Facebook post, thanking “amazing community partners” and emphasizing the importance of people “feeling heard and seen as your authentic self.”

The post quickly went viral. As criticism poured in, Thompson posted a rant criticizing those with a different opinion. “Mayor of Bothell here. I see this post has attracted a lot of folks (mostly from somewhere else) who seem upset that in Bothell we acknowledge the inherent dignity and humanity of our neighbors.”

“Personally, I’ve never felt that what other people have in their pants is any of my business,” Thompson added, “but I can see that there are some of you who feel it is your business, which is pretty weird.”

Thompson continued, “We care for each other, we respect each other, and we work together to ensure everyone feels safe and welcome. While this may upset some, this is who we are.”

“As long as there are people who are openly upset that some of our neighbors exist… part of our job… is to publicly celebrate the communities who are targeted,” the mayor said, adding, “Those of you who are upset… are the reason it’s necessary.”

“Until we get there, I’ll be on the side of any community who is targeted,” Thompson wrote.