City of Seattle
Edward B. Murray, Mayor
Seattle LGBTQ Commission

COMMISSIONERS
Julia Riccardi

TO: Edward B. Murray, Mayor
FROM: City of Seattle LGBTQ Commission
DATE: July 24, 2017
SUBJECT: Request for Resignation

CO-CHAIR

Manuel Venegas
CO-CHAIR

Ray Corona
CO-CHAIR

Anders McConachie
Hannah Johnson
Katrina Sanford
Joseph Suttner
Ann Luetzow
Nikki Hurley

Dear Mayor Murray,
We are writing to request your immediate resignation as Mayor of Seattle.
Due to allegations and mounting evidence that you have repeatedly engaged in sexual abuse of
minors, we believe that you should no longer serve as the leader of the City of Seattle. Lloyd
Anderson, Jeff Simpson, Maurice Levon Jones, and Delvonn Heckard have all come forward with
their personal experiences of abuse and evidence has recently emerged illustrating that you did
abuse Simpson.
We acknowledge that you have dismissed these allegations of sexual assault as “right-wing, anti-gay”
activity. It is true that homophobic acts remain highly prevalent and destructive within the LGBTQ
community. It is also true that within our LGBTQ community, many axes of power, including class,
race, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, and disability aim to suppress our power by dividing us.
We perceive your attempt to dismiss these claims as a “politically motivated” monolithic issue of
homophobia to be a maneuver that is divisive and damaging to our community. Claiming homophobic
intent to shield yourself from accountability and erase the experiences of survivors of sexual abuse is
silencing, manipulative, and morally repugnant.
In addition to the evidence regarding deeply grave sexual abuse, we believe your response has been
harmful and inappropriate, particularly to LGBTQ individuals, survivors of sexual abuse, and
individuals with criminal history. You have responded to the allegations by invoking the accusers’
criminal records as proof of their unreliability. We affirm that survivors of sexual assault must be
believed and honored, no matter their identity or social standing.
To serve in the honorable role of Mayor of Seattle, one should be an exemplar of leadership,
accountability, and honesty. Based on what we know at this time, we do not believe that you can
embody these ideals, and public trust in your leadership has eroded.
We stand in solidarity with survivors of sexual assault, and all those disproportionately impacted by
abuses of power. As a Commission, we aim to uplift, not silence, the perspectives and experiences of
the most marginalized members of our community.
Noting both that you are the first openly gay Mayor of Seattle, and that many individuals on the
Seattle LGBTQ Commission were appointed by you, we do not take our decision to call for your
resignation lightly. While some may say that you should be given the opportunity to serve out the
remainder of your term, we feel that would be inadequate. With both moral and pragmatic
motivations, we feel we must call for your resignation.
Continuing in your position as Mayor sends a clear, devastating message to current and past
survivors of sexual assault (including young people who may currently be experiencing abusive
situations), that their pain and experiences are less important than maintaining the status quo;
staying in office distracts Seattle from critical matters that require our full energy now -- such as
addressing the homelessness crisis; remaining in office erodes our civil institutions and our
commitment to justice.
It is for these reasons that the Seattle LGBTQ Commission is requesting you resign from your position.
Respectfully,

Julia Ricciardi
on behalf of the City of Seattle LGBTQ Commission