June is PRIDE Month! In honor of PRIDE, the Department of Executive Services, King County is proud to collaborate with the Meaningful Movies Project to bring Vlada Knowlton’s critically acclaimed documentary “The Most Dangerous Year” to our employee community and the public for a screening and discussion.

In early 2016, the Human Rights Campaign published a report identifying 2016 as the most dangerous year for transgender Americans. “The Most Dangerous Year” is about a small group of Washington State families caught in the middle of the nation’s “bathroom wars.” Vlada Knowlton, a Seattle area filmmaker and a parent of a transgender child, takes us to the front lines of this heart-wrenching political battle.

The story begins in January, when six discriminatory anti-transgender bills are introduced into the Washington State Legislature. This launches a year-long struggle in which the central group of parents, who had never been political activists in the past, along with a state-wide coalition of lawmakers and civil rights organizations, attempt to fight a dark movement of fear, hate, and ignorance.

From the tension-filled Senate hearings to the passionate Olympia protest rallies; from the “Washington Won’t Discriminate” celebrations of diversity to the “Just Want Privacy” press events heralding the intent of the anti-transgender (I-1515) ballot initiative, Knowlton takes us on the journey of Washington State’s modern-day civil rights battle, as well as her own struggle to protect her 5-year-old transgender daughter from laws inspired by bigotry and fear. “The Most Dangerous Year” is Knowlton’s second feature documentary.