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B Y M A D I S O N J O N E S , SGN M AN AGING EDI T OR
DENNIS WORSHAM (RIGHT) WITH HUSBAND BRUCE BALL
The life of Washington Health Secretary Dennis Worsham A story of Gay resilience, HIV advocacy, and commitment to public health B Y M A D I S O N J O N E S , SGN M AN AGING EDI T OR Dennis Worsham is a civil servant who — although not as well recognized as Attorney General Nick Brown or Gov. Bob Ferguson — still performs a vital role as Washington’s secretary of health. Among the 24 appointed heads of state agencies tasked to implement, enforce, and administer Washington’s laws, Secretary Worsham is the one that ensures that the Department of Health runs both equitably and smoothly for all residents. Gov. Ferguson appointed Worsham to his position in June 2025, with an official start date of
July 7. But before his cabinet appointment (and long career in public health), there was also a rich life’s story of perseverance — and love for the Queer community as a Gay man — that led the man to his unshakable dedication to the field. The SGN interviewed the secretary to learn more about how his experiences brought him to where he is now, and how the struggles of public health policy for LGBTQIA+ people has evolved over time.
SEE WORSHAM PAGE 10
When Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes agreed to come by the SGN office recently to have a conversation about the state of community relations, it marked a significant turning point in both Seattle’s LGBTQIA+ and police histories. Our collective endeavors as a community toward Queer liberation these last several decades have often been met with violence, harassment, and contempt at the hands of SPD officers. It’s a long and recurring tale that has been deeply woven into the fabric of Queer life in our city, documented through the stories people wrote and shared in the SGN itself, going back to our paper’s inception. The findings of the Office of Inspector General’s February sentinel event review of last year’s Mayday USA event proved, more now than ever, that the SPD continues to fail in its operations and organizational culture, and fails to take the safety and well-being of Queer Seattleites into proper account. Those who do not learn from the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them. Chief Barnes is not from Seattle, nor is he a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. But his background as a history teacher, and a Black man who grew up in rural Murfreesboro, North Carolina, has had a strong influence on how he views the world, including his commitment to civil rights, and changing the role of law enforcement within marginalized communities. He might not be able to name a single Seattle drag performer, and he struggles to use the right pronouns when speaking about his close Transgender friend from graduate school (Dr. Lee, whom he cited as the person who encouraged and inspired him to finish his PhD dissertation), but underneath this lack of familiarity with LGBTQIA+ culture, he showed an openness to change and humility in our discus-
sions about the SPD’s historical and current mistreatment of Queer people that shows promise. I shared with Chief Barnes a copy of the May 26, 1978, issue of the SGN with the headline “Cops Bust Rights Benefit,” one among many over the years that tackled police brutality. The story reported how 20 SPD officers raided a Gay-rights fundraiser attended by 250-300 people over alleged state liquor code violations. It also mentions Initiative 13, which, according to the article, was an “effort headed by two Seattle policemen to strip Seattle gays of their rights.” During our conversation, he made an apology to me and our community for those past injustices, and as a former history teacher, emphasized how important it is that we hold on to (and seek to understand) our history to create a better future. Time will tell how serious the intentions of Chief Barnes and SPD are toward rebuilding their fraught relationship with our community, but after having an indepth conversation, it appears for now that they are open to continuing dialogue, increasing engagement and input from Queer groups, and implementing broader institutional changes within the department. Mayday USA The first question I asked Chief Barnes on the topic of Mayday USA (a religious fundamentalist group from Spokane) was what he thought about the SPD personnel who used the term “Transtifa” (a mashing of Trans and Antifa) to describe counterprotesters. “We don’t always get it right” was his initial response, and he mentioned that when terminology for LGBTQIA+ people
SEE BARNES PAGE 11