Laurie Jinkins

Laurie Jinkins was the first out lesbian elected to the Washington State Legislature in 2010. She came to the legislature after leading LGBTQ rights campaigns statewide and in her hometown of Tacoma. Before serving in the legislature, she litigated child abuse and neglect cases for the Attorney General’s Office and served on numerous non-profit boards, including 12 years as a Tacoma Community College Trustee. Because Washington has a part-time legislature, Jinkins has continued her 30-year career as a public health professional when not serving. She has served on the health care, environment, civil rights and judiciary (chair), capital budget, transportation, and appropriations committees since being elected. In 2020, Jinkins was elected as the first woman and lesbian Speaker of the House of Representatives. She’s successfully steered the House through responding to the pandemic, advancing climate justice, incorporating equity into budgeting and policy decisions, strengthening the well-being of all Washingtonians, and making services more accessible. Jinkins lives in Tacoma with her wife of 33 years, Laura Wulf. Their son attends Western Washington University.