OL Reign Legend: Speaker Laurie Jinkins – Speaker of the Washington State House of Representatives

The Legends Campaign, a partnership between OL Reign and Starbucks, honors women for their extraordinary contributions to our community in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Prior to OL Reign’s match against Portland Thorns FC on June 3, OL Reign recognized Speaker Laurie Jinkins, the Speaker of the Washington State House of Representatives.

Speaker Jinkins made history on January 13, 2020, when she became Washington state’s first woman and first lesbian Speaker of the House. She represents the 27th Legislative District in Pierce County. A native Midwesterner who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Speaker Jinkins then earned a law degree from Seattle University School of Law.

She started her career litigating child abuse and neglect cases for the state Attorney General’s Office before shifting her career toward public health, currently serving as Senior Advisor at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. She has been active in advancing LGBTQ rights and all forms of Equity, reducing gun violence and improving access to health care both prior to and during her time in the House.

"My general advice to people is to do what you love. Find things that you really enjoy and do them,” said Speaker Jinkins. “I think that people really do things better when they are doing something they love. 

I felt really drawn on to LGBTQ rights and that was partly personal for me and the experiences I’ve had, but also because I could see a whole community that had so much to offer but so hidden and afraid.”

Though she was not encouraged by others to get in the LGBTQ rights area of politics, pursuing that field and bringing marriage equality to Washington is something that Speaker Jinkins is most proud of.

“Another profound experience for me was just being elected to this position, becoming the first woman speaker in Washington state and the first lesbian speaker in Washington state. That comes with a lot of feelings for me, but I also hope that others see me and know that they can accomplish whatever they set their mind to because I am in this position.”

She and her wife, Laura Wulf, were able to be married in 2013, the year of their 25th anniversary, thanks to YOU!  They’re excited to be celebrating their son Wulf’s graduation from Western Washington University this summer.

While never a soccer player, Speaker Jinkins is a lifelong athlete and will finish the Washington portion of the Pacific Crest Trail this summer. She is also a former Northwest women’s caber tossing champion and all-American hammer, shotput and discus thrower.

When asked what being honored as an OL Reign Legend meant to her, Speaker Laurie Jinkins expressed her gratitude and humility.

“I'm not sure I've achieved the Legend status yet, but I think that the Reign and members of the Reign team have led the northwest for a long time now. They have led the nation and even internationally on so many advancements for women and girls. I am quite honored to have my name connected to OL Reign in any way shape or form. I hope that some of our work can be seen as a Venn diagram. When you see all of the work that the Reign has done globally to advance equality, I hope that is something I am doing in my own way.”

As a closing remark, Speaker Jinkins said, “To young women and member of the BIPOC community. Think about running for office, your mere presence in the room changes the dialogue in that room and it changes the outcome of every single policy discussion that is had. In my own caucus, I can guarantee you that every solution we bring is a better solution for all the people of the state of Washington because of that diversity.

She continued, “Sometimes people need to be asked multiple times to run for office, especially if that’s a room they have never been in before. They say that women have to be asked an average of seven times to run for office. So, my last call to action is encouraging women and the BIPOC community to run for office. Consider this your first time being asked. It may take more times but know that we need you in the room.”