Gender Justice League (GJL) is a left-of-center LGBT advocacy group based in Seattle, Washington. It focuses on transgender issues. It hosts the annual Seattle Trans Pride March as well as the Gender Justice Awards.

Background

Gender Justice League (GJL) is a left-of-center LGBT advocacy group based in Seattle, Washington. It was formed in 2012 to “increase the community’s capacity to address cissexism, transphobia, transmisogyny” and discrimination against LGBT individuals. The group is critical of major LGBT organizations, claiming that only 4 percent of their employees are transgender. In response, GJL “seeks to empower trans people to combat the structural oppression, discrimination, and violence” that exists, it claims, not only in American society but even within LGBT nonprofit groups. ¹

Activities

Gender Justice League’s six stated values are racial justice and anti-racism, economic justice, intersectionality, accessibility, inclusion, and sex positivity. It aims to accomplish its mission through city and state-level LGBT rights advocacy, homeless shelters and monetary aid for trans people, and special events. ²

GJL claims to have provided shelter to 41 trans individuals and $30,000 in direct cash aid to trans individuals in 2021. ³

GJL hosts “the Gender Justice Awards,” an awards program which gives prizes and recognition to ideologically aligned activists. The awards are community nominated and decided by an awards committee consisting of past award recipients and GJL’s staff and board. Its 2021 award winners included Katherine Blake, Lavender Right’s Project’s “WA Black Trans Task Force,” Mattie Mooney, Mercy Kariuki-McGee, trans youth group Pizza Klatch, Randy Ford, Scarlett D’Giacomo, Sherae Lascelles, and Ve’ondre Mitchell. ⁴

Seattle Trans Pride March

Gender Justice League boasts to have hosted nine trans pride events. One of its major events is the annual Seattle Trans Pride March. In 2022, its march was held in Volunteer Park in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. It featured performances from Seaside Tryst, the Royal House of Noir, DJ Mixx America, Karinyo, Virtuanaut, and Michete. ⁵

The 2022 Trans Pride March was sponsored by Amazon-affiliated LGBT group Glamazon, Seattle LGBT softball association ECSA, Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network, Polite Society, Starbucks Pride Network, software developer Adobe, Ford Motor Company, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the King County Library System, SEIU 775, ACLU Washington, Legal Voice, cosmetics company MAC, and Providence Swedish. ⁶

The Puget Sound chapter of the John Brown Gun Club provided armed “security” for a July 2019 Trans Pride March in Seattle, an event organized by the Gender Justice League. The Club reached out to Brooke Wylie of Gender Justice to offer its services, including the providing of armed escorts, after rumors that white supremacist groups were going to show up to the march. Wylie, the head of the 101-person security team for the event, accepted its assistance after researching the club and having its members agree to a “no open carry” policy. ⁷

According to The Guardian, police officers were present, but many did not “trust them to provide protection at public events, especially when far-right groups are involved.” Later that month, members of the chapter defended a “Drag Story Time Hour” event occurring at a library near Renton, Washington, against right-wing protestors. ⁸

Leadership

As of 2022, Danni Askini was working as the co-executive director of Gender Justice League’s national programs. Askini is the founding executive director and has helped the group in its pursual of transition-related healthcare, banning conversion therapy practices in Washington, and opposing “anti-trans” bills in the state legislature. ⁹

As of 2019, Brooke Wylie was the head of security for Gender Justice League, leading its 101-person security detail for a Trans Pride March in Seattle. ¹⁰

As of 2022, its board of directors included board president Sarah Moran, Blaire Sebren, Oliver Webb, Sam Mark, and Zane Rapinan. ¹¹

1. “Home.” Gender Justice League. Accessed November 27, 2022. https://www.genderjusticeleague.org/.
2. “About.” Gender Justice League. Accessed November 27, 2022. https://www.genderjusticeleague.org/about-gjl/.
3. “About.” Gender Justice League. Accessed November 27, 2022. https://www.genderjusticeleague.org/about-gjl/.
4. “Gender Justice Awards.” Gender Justice League. Accessed November 27, 2022. https://www.genderjusticeleague.org/gender-justice-awards/.
5. “Trans Pride Seattle.” Transprideseattle.org. Accessed November 27, 2022. https://transprideseattle.org/.
6. “Trans Pride Seattle.” Transprideseattle.org. Accessed November 27, 2022. https://transprideseattle.org/.
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8. Kelly, Kim. “‘If others have rifles, we’ll have rifles’: why US leftist groups are taking up arms.” The Guardian, July 22, 2019. Accessed November 26, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/22/if-others-have-rifles-well-have-rifles-why-leftist-groups-are-taking-up-arms.
9. “Staff & Board.” Gender Justice League. Accessed November 27, 2022. https://www.genderjusticeleague.org/staff-and-board/.
10. Kelly, Kim. “‘If others have rifles, we’ll have rifles’: why US leftist groups are taking up arms.” The Guardian, July 22, 2019. Accessed November 26, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/22/if-others-have-rifles-well-have-rifles-why-leftist-groups-are-taking-up-arms.
11. “Staff & Board.” Gender Justice League. Accessed November 27, 2022. https://www.genderjusticeleague.org/staff-and-board/.