Seattle City Council Committee Approves Bill to Protect Polyamorous Partners

The Housing, Arts and Civil Rights Committee of the Seattle City Council (Washington, USA) has unanimously approved a bill aimed at protecting polyamorous unions and other nontraditional relationship structures from discrimination. The proposal has been forwarded to the full council for consideration, reports LGBTQ Nation.

The proposed amendments to the Seattle Municipal Code suggest officially recognizing nonbinary gender identities, pansexuality, and asexuality, as well as including “consensual relationships with multiple partners” under the definition of sexual orientation. The new rules would prohibit discrimination against such unions in employment, housing, business licensing, public accommodations, and the use of city parks.

According to the bill’s sponsor, Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck, the initiative aims to “prohibit discrimination based on family and relationship structure as fully as possible.” She emphasized that the legislation reflects the actual living conditions of residents and recognizes their right to equal protection.

Advocacy groups note that being openly polyamorous often becomes a reason for denial in housing rentals or job terminations. In December of last year, the Seattle Human Rights Commission urged city authorities to pass such a law, pointing out the vulnerability of residents with non-standard family arrangements.

If finalized, Seattle will become the tenth American city to adopt such measures. Similar ordinances have previously been approved in Portland, West Hollywood, Berkeley, Somerville, and several other US municipalities. Somerville (Massachusetts) became the first city in the country in 2020 to grant polyamorous partners the same rights as married couples, including hospital visitation and joint health insurance benefits.