The George Bakan "Hands Off Washington" Campaign Collection documents the efforts of a coalition of state and local groups who joined together to combat anti-LGBTQ+ ballot initiatives in the 1990s. The collection consists of administrative and board materials, records of local coalition councils, documents related to activities and activisim carried out on behalf of the HOW campaign, and publications and clippings regarding various LGBTQ+ issues and advocacy.
Hands Off Washington (HOW) was a project of the Washington Citizens for Fairness (WCF) which lasted from 1993 to 1997. WCF, a state-wide organization, was a coalition of concerned citizens and organizations with the specific aim of preserving the civil rights of all Washington citizens. HOW was created to specifically oppose initiatives 608 and 610, which sought to limit the rights of Washington citizens and legalize discrimination based on sexual orientation. Quoting from the official ballot summaries:
Initiative 608, sponsored by the Equal Rights, Not Special Rights Committee. "This measure would prohibit the state of Washington and its political subdivisions from enacting or enforcing any law or policy that grants protection against discrimination or that recognizes or provides any benefit, right, standing, or privilege to homosexuals or other persons on the basis of sexual orientation. This measure also would bar common schools, their employees, volunteers, and guests from discussing or presenting homosexuality, bisexuality, transexuality, or transvestism as appropriate, positive, or healthy in any respect."-Initiative 608 Summary, 1994-03-29
Initiative 610, was sponsored by the Citizens Alliance of Washington. "This measure would prohibit governments from according rights, status or protection from discrimination based on homosexuality; from expending funds through governmental or educational institutions to promote, approve, or present homosexuality as a positive, healthy, or acceptable condition; from recognizing same-sex marriages and gender change alterations; and from awarding homosexuals custody of their own or other children in adoption or other child custody proceedings. The measure would grant enforcement standing to residents and non-profit entities." -Initiative 610 Summary, 1994-03-29
In 1997, the HOW campaign attempted to add sexual orientation, perceived or actual, to existing anti-discrimination laws via ballot measure I-677, which ultimately failed to pass.
The collector, George Bakan, was founder and long-term editor of Seattle Gay News, and an influential advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.
[item/date], George Bakan "Hands Off Washington" Campaign Collection, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University.
The collection is open to the public.
Donated by Angela Cragin in 2023 and 2024.
This collection contains documentation and discussion of anti-LGBTQ+ language and discrimination (which the Hands Off Washington coalition fought against) that some users may find offensive and triggering. To learn more about problematic content in our collections, collection description and teaching tools (including how to provide feedback or request dialog on this topic), see our
Related collections at the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies include the Hands Off Washington (Whatcom County Coalition) Records and the Liz Latham Collection on the "We're Here to Stay" (Hands Off Washington) Documentary.