In a landmark decision that makes it the first city in Washington State to take such action, Olympia's City Council unanimously voted in early 2026 to expand civil liberties protections to include polyamorous and nontraditional family arrangements.
The ordinance adds "diverse family and relationship structures" to the city's anti-discrimination housing and employment rules, extending legal protections to people in consensually nonmonogamous relationships alongside single-parent families, multigenerational households, blended families, and chosen families.
"For me, this is recognizing the fact that people who are in different kinds of families already live in our community," said Mayor Dontae Payne, a gay man who emphasized the importance of protecting marginalized communities at the local level. "This vote shows that Olympia understands the diversity of its residents."
Olympia City Council member Robert Vanderpool called the measure a significant step forward. "This gives Olympia residents expanded civil liberties they didn't have before," Vanderpool said. "Chosen families take a lot of different forms. Polyamory isn't just about having multiple romantic partners—it's about what your community looks like and how we support each other."
According to research, approximately 5% of Americans practice some form of consensual nonmonogamy. Yet many face housing discrimination, employment barriers, and legal complications when seeking to designate next of kin or make medical decisions across their chosen family structures.
The move follows similar action in Portland, where the city council advanced comparable legislation last month. Advocates from the Seattle Coalition for Family & Relationship Equity are now working to bring polyamory protections to Tacoma, Seattle, and other Washington cities, while also pushing for statewide recognition through proposed "Indigo's Law"—legislation that would help unmarried people designate next of kin from their chosen family.
"Olympia's leadership sends a powerful message to the entire region," said one local advocate. "When a city this size takes a stand for relationship diversity, it opens the door for other communities to follow."
The ordinance doesn't create special rights, advocates emphasize—it simply ensures that the existing civil protections available to traditional families extend equally to people in polyamorous and other consensual relationship structures.
City leaders say the vote reflects Olympia's values of inclusion and community care. "We're a city that welcomes everyone," Payne added. "This is who we are."