Olympia Becomes First Washington City to Protect Polyamorous Families

New law bars discrimination against diverse family structures including polyamorous, single-parent, and chosen families.

Mar. 18, 2026 at 2:10am

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The city of Olympia, Washington has become the first in the state to explicitly prohibit discrimination against people in polyamorous and other nontraditional family arrangements. The City Council unanimously voted to add "diverse family and relationship structures" to its anti-bias and housing rules, protecting consensually nonmonogamous relationships alongside single-parent, multigenerational, blended, and chosen families.

Why it matters

This move by Olympia aims to address reported stigma that polyamorous and other alternative family structures have faced in housing, employment, and healthcare. Advocates say similar measures are being pursued in other Washington cities and at the state level, with the goal of expanding civil liberties and legal protections for diverse family arrangements.

The details

The new Olympia ordinance simply adds a definition for "diverse family and relationship structures" to existing anti-discrimination laws, without requiring any additional costs or resources from the city. Council member Robert Vanderpool said the change gives Olympia residents "expanded civil liberties they didn't have before." Organizers, including those from the Seattle Coalition for Family & Relationship Equity, are working to enact similar policies in Tacoma, Seattle, and across Washington state.

  • Olympia's City Council unanimously voted on the new ordinance in early 2026.
  • Portland's City Council advanced a related proposal just last month.

The players

Robert Vanderpool

An Olympia City Council member who spoke about the new ordinance, saying it puts "diverse family and relationship structures" on par with other protected classes in the city's anti-discrimination laws.

Seattle Coalition for Family & Relationship Equity

An advocacy group working to enact similar polyamory anti-discrimination measures in other Washington cities and at the state level.

Jessa Davis

A transgender activist who commented that "Polyamory isn't just about having sex with multiple people. It's about what your community looks like."

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What they’re saying

“What we're doing is ... putting a new class into the city ordinance next to the other ones ... so that as an Olympia resident, they have expanded civil liberties they didn't have before.”

— Robert Vanderpool, Olympia City Council member

“Chosen families take a lot of different forms. Polyamory isn't just about having sex with multiple people. It's about what your community looks like.”

— Jessa Davis, Transgender activist

What’s next

Advocates are preparing to pursue similar polyamory anti-discrimination measures in other Washington cities like Tacoma and Seattle, as well as at the state level with a proposed "Indigo's Law" to help unmarried people designate next of kin from their "chosen family."

The takeaway

Olympia's new law represents a significant step forward in protecting the rights and civil liberties of polyamorous and other alternative family structures, which have historically faced stigma and discrimination. This move could inspire similar efforts across Washington state and set an example for other parts of the country to follow.