Legal Voice

Who We Are

Legal Voice fights for gender liberation across the Northwest. From courtrooms to the court of public opinion, we challenge patriarchal and racist power structures to widen pathways to justice.

How We Work

Why Invest in Legal Voice?

Right now, we are experiencing an exponential increase in attacks on our bodily autonomy, our rights to make the best medical decisions for ourselves, and blatant discrimination. We knew the overturn of Roe v. Wade in June 2022 was going to unleash an unprecedented attack on our rights, and this legislative session has proved those predictions to be true. 

In Idaho, we fought against bills like HB71, which targeted transgender youth, their families, and their right to live an authentic life of dignity and autonomy. This bill criminalized medical professional for providing gender-affirming care to young folks, directly inserting the government into private medical decisions that should be made medical professionals, the patient, and their family. 

Simultaneously, we came out against HB242, which essentially instituted a medical travel ban, targeting Idahoans who support a young person seeking abortion care outside the state. Even with parental permission, someone could be accused of violating this law, requiring them to defend themselves in court. These types of laws are already having the chilling effect they intend to have, especially affecting those in rural Idaho and from historically marginalized communities. 

The consequences of these laws will be devastating for all, but especially for communities that already face increased barriers to healthcare access, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color, the queer and trans community, folks with disabilities, and folks who are low income. Rural Idahoans are already experiencing less access, which will only get worse with entire hospital wings shutting down essential health care services. And remember, Idaho already has the fewest doctors per capita in the nation.

This stripping of rights will not end here. It is clear that the extremists who are pushing forward bills like these are being driven by beliefs rooted in sexism and racism. Today, it’s the trans community and  folks who can get pregnant. Tomorrow, it will be someone else. This pattern of misinformation, accompanied by bills limiting access to information, is creating a toxic and unsafe environment. What we are witnessing is a social purge by far right extremists.

It is evident the powers that be in Idaho are looking to push Idaho’s discriminatory, intrusive and harmful laws beyond state borders. This is why we and various partner organizations have taken proactive measures in pushing forward two bills in Washington State–the My Health, My Data bill and the Shield Law.

HB1469, also known as the Shield Law, prohibits cooperation with malicious, out-of-state investigations and prosecutions of Washington providers and patients. This bill would protect people getting, providing, or supporting with abortion care in Washington state, especially from out-of-state bounty hunters and anti choice attorney generals.

HB1155, the My Health, My Data bill, requires entities (such as crisis pregnancy centers, period tracker apps, and websites) service providers who collect personal and sensitive information without being subject to HIPAA to get a consumer’s affirmative consent (no, a 100 page terms-and-conditions document does not count).

Both of these bills have passed Washington’s Legislature, and are making their way to Governor Inslee’s desk, awaiting his signature.

We can no longer afford to think of our issues at state-specific, when laws are being passed in extremist states that seek to criminalize folks elsewhere. It is necessary for us to zoom out, to look at what is happening regionally and understand the interconnection at play.

Your investment in Legal Voice today is an investment in a future where we are all afforded the opportunity to live our lives with dignity, safety, and autonomy. It allows us to co-create a world, together, where we are each seen in our full humanity, where we can thrive in community free from oppression and racism, and where we all have a pathway to liberation.