by Lindsey Anderson

On January 15, 2025, Bob Ferguson will become Washington's 23rd governor. Ferguson's campaign promised healthcare reform, expanded access to mental health, and a commitment to continuing the environmental legacy of outgoing Gov. Jay Inslee, who is wrapping up his third and final term. While Ferguson has some big shoes to fill, Inslee told the Seattle Gay News that he is excited to embrace retirement.

"I would like to consider getting a chair position of the Rotary auction in Bainbridge Island," Inslee joked in an interview with the SGN. "In all seriousness, I do not see myself being in elected office in the future. I do not have elected office in the farthest distances on my radar."

Standing up to Trump
Inslee's terms weren't without controversy, and they often included butting heads with President Trump. He's proud that his successor will enter the office with similar previous experience. Early in Trump's first administration, Ferguson challenged the constitutionality of his "Muslim ban."

"Obviously [Washington is] never going to be turning down any way to work with the federal government, but we understand the threat that [Trump] possesses to our liberties, our sense of unity, and the US Constitution," Inslee said. "We should never think about taking a knee to him. Other people are, which is disturbing, but we never will. In the first rodeo, we beat him in court. We have an excellent attorney general, and I am confident we will never take a knee to him."

Inslee's advice to Ferguson? Enjoy the position and its opportunities.

"I would advise [Ferguson] to be willing to take the former governor's phone calls if he calls," Inslee joked. "My real advice is to enjoy every day of being governor, because it is such a unique opportunity to help your communities. There is no other position in life where you can wake up every morning and have so many opportunities to help your community."

Advancing LGBTQ+ rights
Inslee took his own advice to heart, especially when advocating for the LGBTQ+ community, he said.

"When it comes to pride, I want to preface that I'm proud of the state," he said. "I feel the state has had this broad value system of respecting people's individual decisions and their lives and not forcing any decisions on them. I recognized that, but the [voters] did their work at the ballot box, and we allowed people to be who they are and love who they wish."

Inslee took office a month after Washington voters legalized same-sex marriage, and worked tirelessly to ensure protections for LGBTQ+ people and families. In 2019, he signed into law a bill establishing the Washington State LGBTQ Commission, which works alongside community agencies to implement policies explicitly regarding the LGBTQ+ community.

"We established our commission to make sure our communities have a voice in state government," Inslee told the SGN.

That same year he oversaw the legalization of commercial surrogacy, with the key legal stipulation that couples of any gender, marital status, or sexuality may participate in the process.

In 2020, he signed a bill that abolished the Gay panic defense in Washington state, which allowed a person to mount a defense to a charge of a violent crime against a member of the LGBTQ+ community on the basis of an unwanted sexual advance.

In 2021, Inslee signed into law a bill protecting families from extradition to foreign countries where they may face the death penalty for their sexual orientation. The following year, he signed the Gender Affirming Treatment Act, which covers gender-affirming care under state Medicaid.

Inslee signed another bill in 2023 that protects LGBTQ+ people who seek gender-affirming care in Washington state from criminalization or extradition back to a state that bans such care, as well as another one protecting the rights of Washingtonians to receive gender-affirming care, using the emergency clause to enact the law instantly.

"I'm proud that we have done things recently to keep reactionary states from coming in and reducing protections for Trans folks, and we've passed some bills to protect [people] in that regard," Inslee said. "The state of Washington has accepted all Washingtonians for who they are."

Climate change and a final note
Inslee's legacy is marked by sweeping actions to fight climate change, and he said he will continue his work in environmental activism.

"I'd like to be active in the fight against climate change and building a clean energy economy," he said. "I don't know what that will entail, but it may entail speaking to groups. It is what our generation will be known for."

In his 12 years as governor, he passed several significant climate change laws.
"It's one of the things I'm proudest of," Inslee said. "In our state, we have embedded environmental justice in everything we've done. We passed the Climate Commitment Act. We've made investments in clean energy funds."

Under Inslee's leadership, communities most affected by climate change receive the largest portion of revenue generated by the Clean Energy Fund, which works to develop and increase clean energy technology.

Other notable accomplishments include the establishment of paid family leave as a worker's right. Inslee also promoted stricter gun safety laws, and preserved access to abortion rights. In 2021, he passed a 7% capital gains tax, which remains in effect despite an attempt in the last election to repeal it. In 2023, he formally abolished the state's death penalty.

"We made a lot of progress in the last 12 years," Inslee said. "As governor, I played some role in that progress. We had considerable success, and I believe the reason is that I was really confident in our state's ability to move forward. Our state is a very forward-moving group that cares about compassion and allowing people to be who they are, love who they love, and move down the field of human progress and justice."